


Six Months

by baranskini



Category: The Good Wife (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Eventual Romance, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-04-25 13:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 38,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14379603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baranskini/pseuds/baranskini
Summary: During his suspension, Will brings in a lawyer to help run the firm in his absence. AU.





	1. Replacement

“Diane, you’re going to need someone while I’m gone. You can’t run this place on your own, it’ll kill you.” Will said following her into her office and closing the door behind him.

“We’re not talking about this.” she shot back defiantly, throwing her notebook onto her desk and turning to lean against it. Folding her arms pointedly, she met his gaze.

“Yes, we are.” he replied just as adamantly, crossing his arms too and matching her stance.

“Will,” she growled lowly, rolling her eyes and throwing her hands into the air; exasperated. “I’ll be fine! Sure, it’s a little extra work but I’m-“

“I have a friend from law school,” Will cut her off quickly, stepping closer, his gaze strong and steady. “He’s a good man, smart, one hell of a lawyer.” he continued pulling out one of her visitor’s chairs and flopping down into it. Diane stood in front of him, pressing the heels of her palms into the glass table as she leant against it. “I’ve asked him to step in while I’m away.”

“What?” she shrieked her eyes going wide as her mouth fell open.

“Look-“

“You replaced yourself without asking me?” she demanded incredulously, her expression thunderous.

“Diane,” Will began, his voice calm as he met her piecing gaze. “You know it’s not like that!”

“The hell it isn’t! You went behind my back, didn’t even ask me... “ she started to rant, pushing up from her desk again and beginning to pace, her hands gesticulating wildly as she raged

“Well I knew you’d say no...” Will offered without thinking and Diane’s eyes almost fell from her head. She stopped her pacing, her hands dropping to her hips as she looked at him in disbelief, her anger palpable

“Damn right I’m saying no! I’m not letting some stranger come in and run our firm!” she hissed.

“He’s not gonna run the firm! He’s just gonna help out, take some of my cases, make things easier.” Will reasoned. “And he’s not a stranger!”

“You understand how crazy this sounds, right??” Diane asked, moving to stand in front of him again, her eyes scanning his face intently, certain he was having a stroke. “I mean you are actually hearing yourself?-“

“It’s only for a few months!” Will shot back talking over her, his voice louder than before, and much gruffer. He was getting annoyed now, all he wanted to do was help her! Why did she have to make it so Goddamn difficult?

“-because it is, it is crazy Will! I don’t want a new partner!” she continued her tirade. She shook her head, her features almost pained as she met his green eyes; imploring him to understand. 

“It wouldn’t be like that! He’s not looking to take my seat.” Will replied earnestly.  Diane glared at him incredulously, folding her arms again as she pouted.

“Really?” she smirked.

“Yes, really.” Will said testily. “He isn’t like that.”

“Is he a lawyer?” she queried with a quirked eyebrow and a nasty grin.

“What?” Will’s brow scrunched as his eyes thinned. “Yes of course he’s a lawyer!”

“Well, then he’s like that.” she sassed back smartly.

“Diane!” Will grumbled moving to stand, pacing as he threw his arms into the air. “He’s not like that, look, just give him a chance, okay?” he continued, walking up to her. His hands skated down her arms until they reached hers, gripping her dainty fingers; he squeezed them gently. “Please,”

“Will,” she whined with a heavy frown.

“Please, just do it for me, okay? Just meet with him?” His eyes were wide as he begged her. “Please Diane, just let me do this, let me help you.”

Diane met his eyes, her own softening at his tone. She knew what he was doing, playing on her heartstrings; the sad puppy-eyes and toddler-pout smeared heavily across his features there just for her. She knew he was trying to guilt her into this, but there was something else too, a crack in his voice, or a stutter in his sentence; he was genuinely worried. The suspension was going to be hard on everyone, but especially for Will, not only was he unable to practice, but he was also essentially stepping down as name partner. He wouldn’t be there for her and this was his solution, a replacement Will.

“Okay,” she sighed after a long moment, closing her eyes in defeat. Will dropped her hands jumping up with boyish enthusiasm. “I must be losing my mind, but okay.” Diane continued, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger as she tried to ward off a headache. 

“Yes! Thank you! Will said, curling his hands around her waist he lifted her slightly, spinning them; his grin wide. “You’re going to love him! I just know it! And he’ll fit in so easily.” Diane shook her head, giggling with dizziness as he set her down again.

“I only agreed to meet with him, I’m not saying yes.” she warned darkly, cocking her head to the side meaningfully. Will chuckled, nodding in agreement.

“Of course!” he replied in a way that made her think he really didn’t believe that. “He’s actually trying a case at the moment, I’ll give him a call and maybe we could pop in to see him in action? Give you two a chance to meet?” Will remarked cheerily as he walked backwards toward her door, his grin wide and bright. “You’re gonna love him!”

Diane pursed her lips, shaking her head as she watched her partner dance across the area connecting their offices; stopping to chat to his secretary.

“I am so going to regret this!” she muttered to herself, releasing a sigh.

 - - -  

Diane climbed the courthouse steps side by side with Will, his excitement palpable. She shook her head, biting her lip trying to supress a laugh. He was like a kid on Halloween.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Will’s hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her wrist. He tugged her back until she spun so she faced him. Diane cocked her head to the side with a curious smile as he ran his fingers up and down her bare arm lovingly.

“Unfortunately, this is where I leave you,” Will shrugged with a glum smile and Diane’s mouth opened slightly, her expression mournful.

“I keep forgetting you’re on the bench,” she sighed, dusting an imaginary line off his shoulder, her expression sombre.

“Was that a sports metaphor?” he laughed back as her hand left his suit and fell back to her side. Diane chuckled lowly, her grin wide.

“I’ve been waiting to use it all day.” she flirted, stepping down one stair to wrap her arms around him. “It’s gonna be okay,” she murmured into his ear, feeling his hands slip around her waist to pull her further into the hug. The pair stood like that for a long moment, both giving and taking comfort.

“Yeah,” he agreed, pulling back to smile at her, his hands still around her waist. “Okay, so it’s Courtroom 12, Judge Reiner.” he told her more seriously and Diane rolled her eyes stepping out of his embrace. “Hey,” Will warned as he met her unenthusiastic features. “You promised you’d give him a shot!”

Diane huffed out a sigh, flashing the biggest, goofiest grin over her shoulder, placating him as she turned to walk away.

“Be nice, Diane!” Will called after her shoving his hands into pockets, and rocking from his heels to the balls of his feet.

“Stop looking at my ass, Will!” she yelled in response without looking back. Will laughed lowly, shaking his head as he turned crossing the street to a diner, might as well have lunch while he waited. 

\- - - 

Diane strolled into the courthouse with a grin on her face, moving quickly through the security line, she greeted the guard with a friendly nod as she hopped onto the elevator; hitting the button for the second floor. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her phone out; scrolling through a few emails.

Shaking her head she read a snarky text from Will, before stepping off the lift, and sneaking her way into the court quietly.

Diane shuffled into a seat in the back, her eyes immediately drawn to the man questioning a witness. The room was silent save for the lawyer; who looked to be about Will’s age. Diane smiled as she raked her eyes over him; tall, blonde, with a jawline that made her think of the most sinful things, huh, if only she was a few years younger. Rolling her eyes at her silly musings, she redirected her focus onto her potential partner.

The lawyer was quick with his questioning; smart, witty and infinitely charming. He had the jury eating out of his hand but she wasn’t convinced as yet. Her eyes followed the movements of his skilfully tailored suit, silently judging the man.

He was quite attractive and she could tell by his smug grin that he knew it, was even using it to his advantage – not necessarily a bad thing, both she and Will used the same tactic. From what she could see he knew the case well, was obviously well prepared and very respectful. He was methodical in a way she appreciated and used big words like magnanimous and scrupulous; all multi-syllabic and all winning her over. Will was right, much as she hated to admit it, he could be a good fit.

Diane watched for a few more minutes before she moved to gather her bag and coat. She was just about to leave the room, confident she’d seen enough to convince her, when suddenly the opposing lawyer stood.

He was clearly an older man, his hair greying slightly and his stance; though slightly shorter than his counterpart, still formidable. Her eyes were instantly drawn to his outfit, thinning as she took him in. Despite what others may think, she wasn’t a snob when it came to clothing. Sure, all her suits were designer and cut within an inch of her life, but that didn’t mean she looked down on those who couldn’t afford such luxuries. However, this lawyer was something else. She surveyed him closely, suddenly intrigued. He was wearing dark _jeans_ and, were those cowboy boots? Matched with a suit jacket that went out of style in the late seventies, Diane was thoroughly taken aback. He looked more suited to a rodeo than a courtroom.

Stifling a chuckle, she bit her bottom lip deciding to stay a little longer, she just had to see this. The cowboy sauntered over to the witness, greeting her with a gruff voice and a southern drawl. Of course, he’s from the South, Diane thought as she rolled her eyes.

The lawyer spoke directly to the woman, not making eye contact or indeed turning toward the jury at all, his focus locked solely on his questioning. A mistake in Diane’s book. Usually it was best to involve the jury, get them invested in both you and your case.

“Mrs. Richards,” The cowboy drawled lowly and Diane had to admit his voice was quite sexy, seductive even. He hadn’t turned yet, and she couldn’t be sure what he looked like, but already her mind had conjured up a Clint Eastwood type man. “Do you have a driver’s license?”

“I, um, no.” The elderly witness replied in a soft voice, hanging her head shyly as her cheeks flush. Diane smirked. Boy, had he played that wrong, you didn’t win over juries by embarrassing little old ladies.

“And why is that?” he continued.

“My son drives me,” The woman responded, perking up slightly.

“That’s very kind of him,” The cowboy noted and Diane nodded, that was better. “Is there a reason you don’t drive though?” The woman on the stand hesitated, clearly uncomfortable as her eyes danced between the jury and the opposing council.

“Objection!” Lawyer-Ken suddenly barked, standing quickly. The Judge thinned her eyes, her brow frowning.

“I don’t know why you’re objecting, I haven’t heard anything yet.” she snarked back and Diane had to bite her lip to contain a giggle. Will’s friend really was reaching. “Overruled.”

“Mrs. Richards?” The other man prompted in that same sexy voice, and the lady frowned; shifting in her seat.

“I’m not allowed to drive anymore.” she admitted with a pitiful look. Diane’s eyes thinned, her lips curved into a smirk – well played Cowboy. 

“And why is that?” he pushed, still disregarding the members of the jury completely.

“I failed my eye test.” The older woman responded bravely, and Diane hummed; impressed.

“I see, and so isn’t it fair to say that you can’t actually be sure who you saw on the night of September 24th?” The poorly dressed man continued.

“I know who I saw.”

“Your house is about twenty feet from the crime scene, correct?”

“I guess?” Mrs. Richards replied with a confused frown.

“Right so, that’s about-“ The cowboy suddednly spun round on his boot looking directly at her. Diane’s eyes widened, he was attractive. He was _very_ attractive. His deep green eyes very appealing, he was definitely the sexy cowboy she’d imagined and much more age appropriate that his blonde adversary. “Excuse me Ma’am,” he called out with a dashing smile and Diane looked around, lifting her hand to her chest in a silent confirmation. “Yes, the blonde in the red dress,” he continued with a slight nod, his eyes sparkling and making her heart beat faster. “Would you mind standing and holding up a few fingers?”

“Objection! Your honour, are these theatrics really necessary?” His opposition called out once again standing.

“I’ll allow it.” The Judge snapped clearly annoyed but the councils constant interruptions.

The tall blonde fell defeatedly back into his seat as the older man grinned beneath his moustache.

“Ma’am, if you’d be so kind?” he asked again his eyes locked on hers. Diane felt her stomach clench at the look he was giving her, as if she were a delicious treat he wanted nothing more than to devour.  With a bemused smirk, Diane slowly rose from her seat, lifting her hand into the air and hold up two fingers.

“Mrs. Richards, can you please tell me how many fingers the woman in red is holding up?” The man queried, turning back to the witness. The grey-haired woman, squinted but eventually gave up, shaking her head almost sadly. The lawyer nodded

“It was late at night, rainy and the crime scene was more than twice the distance between you and this woman. Now can you tell me in all honestly that you saw my client?” The courtroom was silent everyone holding their breath as they waited for the inevitable answer.

“No,” Mrs. Richards sighed, tears pooling in her old brown eyes.

“Thank you, Mrs. Richards,” The cowboy drawled, reaching out his hand to squeeze the old woman’s. “You did the right thing.” he comforted in a softer voice and Diane found herself smiling at the gesture. Turning his gaze back to Diane, he shot her a winning smile that left her slightly breathless. “Thank you, Ma’am” he acknowledged with a dangerous wink before turning back to the Judge.

“No further questions.”

 - - -  

“Over here!” Will signaled from across the diner as Diane pushed through the door. Striding over to him, she grinned as she noted a chocolate milkshake in front of her seat.

“You shouldn’t have,” she chastised only half meaning it as she shrugged off her coat and moved to sit.

“It’s purely selfish, I know you won’t drink it all and this way the waitress won’t judge me for ordering a second.” Will admitted with a winning smile and a small shrug.

“Well, thank you.” dhebacknowledged, opening her straw and taking a long drag of the delicious treat.

“They’re the best in Chicago,” Will agreed, relaxing back into his seat, his arm casually strung across the back of the chair beside him. “So,” he drawled with poorly concealed excitement. Diane chuckled softly, shaking her head.

“I hate to say it, but he’s good.” she nodded, and Will thrust a fist into the air in victory.

“Yes!” he exclaimed and Diane rolled her eyes. “I told you!” he boasted, and Diane took another sip of her drink.

“You did.” she admitted reluctantly. “He’s intelligent, quick, clearly educated.” She listed off as Will nodded along, his grin almost blinding. “He stumbled a bit with a witness today, but she was old and quite frankly a plant from the opposition.”

“So, you liked him?” Will confirmed as Diane’s fingers snuck across the table to steal a chip from his nearly empty plate. Chewing thoughtfully, she nodded.

“He’s good, a bit cocky,” she replied with a pointed look. “But then again so are you,” she teased with a shrug, sneaking another chip.

“Told you he’d fit right in!” Her partner snarked, tapping her hand away from his food with a dark look. Diane matched his thinned eyes as she pulled his plate toward her in a challenge. Will rolled his eyes knowing he was defeated and surrendered the remainder of his lunch to her.

“He’s no you though,” Diane said reaching over to cover his hand with hers, squeezing it meaningfully as her blue eyes met his green.

“Is that your way of saying you’ll miss me?” Will teased, and Diane threw her head back in a throaty chuckle.

“Desperately!” she sighed animatedly. Will leant forward onto the table, crossing his arms with a naughty smirk.

“And when do you think you’ll miss me the most?” he flirted, and Diane matched his wicked grin.

“Oh, definitely the nights!” she replied flirtatiously, making her partner laugh. “Seriously though,” she said after a moment, meeting his gaze.

“I know,” he agreed in the same tone. “But he’ll help, you and the firm.” Diane nodded sombrely.

“Okay,”

“So, we’re agreed?” he confirmed, and Diane let out a heavy breath.

“We’re agreed, the eye-candy can stand in for you.” she conceded with a smile, moving back to her shake.

“Eye-candy? Really?” Will smirked with a raised eyebrow. “Didn’t know that was your type.” he laughed with a smug expression.

“Tall, dark and handsome is everybody’s type, Will.” she countered with a smirk of her own. Will raised his hands in surrender.

“I didn’t say a thing!” hr offered, and Diane rolled her eyes. Will frowned slightly, moving to glance at something behind her before lifting his arm in a wave.

“Well, you’re in luck, Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome just walked in!” he joked with a sly look that had Diane snorting out a low laugh. Shifting in her seat, she dabbed her mouth with a serviette, awaiting their company.

“Kurt!” Will greeted, standing to shake the mans hand. Diane tucked her hair behind her ears making sure she was presentable.

“Will,” The other man replied, and her blood ran cold, she knew that voice. Knew that slow drawl, it was the same one she’d been admiring all afternoon. Turning slowly, her eyes practically fell out of her head, her mouth dropping open in shock.

“It’s so good to see you!” Will continued merrily clearly oblivious to his partner’s horror. “And this is Diane, my partner,” he introduced proudly, gesturing to her.

“Oh,” Kurt responded in surprise, his smile kind as he met her gaze. “The woman in red,” he chuckled in a low voice. Diane felt her cheeks heat slightly, slowly rising from her chair and offering her hand in an effort not to be rude.

“Diane,” she said as his large, rough hand curled around her dainty fingers, shaking it firmly.

“It’s lovely to meet you Diane,” he acknowledged, and Diane nodded unable to say anything more. Why did she suddenly feel so weak and giggly, why was her heartrate suddenly skyrocketing?

“Take a seat,” Will interrupted their pseudo-staring contest and Kurt released her hand, her skin burning where he’d touched her. “Can we get you something?”

“Oh, no,” Kurt shook his head as they all took their seats, Diane folding her hands neatly into her lap as she stared openly at the man across from her. “I’ve only got a couple minutes, Reiner is a warden when it comes to being late.” he offered with a low rumbling chuckle. Diane gulped, finding the sound incredibly appealing.

“Okay,” Will said cheerfully. “Straight to business then,” he looked to Diane, nodding at her with a confused smile.

“Yes, Will told me about my audition,” Kurt supplied with an easy grin, meeting her eyes. “So, how’d I do?”

Diane giggled nervously, glancing down at her hands. Her mind racing back to the courtroom and how sexy he’d looked despite his attire. 

“Well,” she said after a moment. “You get an A for audience participation” she  offered as Will frowned at her.

“Oh, you liked that, did you?” Kurt shot back lowly, and Diane felt her stomach flutter at his flirty tone.

“A bit theatrical for my liking but it seemed to work.” she replied with a pointed look, trying to play it cool. Kurt shook his head in a slow chuckle and Will frowned at her. “He made me stand and discredit the sight of an elderly woman,” she commented for Will’s benefit.

“Ah,” Her partner nodded. “I see,”

Kurt glanced at his watch, his eyes widening slightly.

“Look, Diane,” he began, meeting her gaze with a more serious expression “I’m sorry to be blunt but I’ve got to run. Will tells me you need help, covering his cases, keeping the firm afloat and such. He also tells me you’re worried after the six months I’m going to want his seat.”

Diane blushed slightly at that, shooting a glare in Will’s direction and chastising him with her eyes.

“I’m a straightforward guy Diane, Will’s a good friend and I’m willing to help. I can handle his cases and anything else that comes along, and I can assure you I am in no way interested in stealing his seat. I mostly do freelance stuff now and so I can step in and back out easily and I’m a damn good lawyer to boot. At the end of the day, it’s obviously up to you two and there’ll be no hard feelings either way, but I’m happy to help.”

Diane smiled as he finished his speech, her eyes locked on his sincere expression as he stood.

“It was wonderful to meet you,” he acknowledged with a sparkling smile directed solely at her, that left Diane slightly weak in the knees. “Will, I’ll see you around,” he added gruffly, not waiting for a reply before sauntering in the direction of the exit.

“Well?” Will questioned eagerly, his eyes following his friend out of the diner. “What do you think?”

“Who the hell was that?” Diane asked aghast, her mouth hanging open.

“What do you mean? That was Kurt?” Will frowned.

“That’s your guy?” she gaped.

“Yeah?”

“He’s so much older than you?” she  continued, and Will’s eyes thinned.

“Yeah?” he replied cautiously.

“You said you went to law school with him!” she hissed with wide eyes.

“No, I said I knew him from school, he was a student teacher.” Will corrected her slowly, still unsure of what was happening.

“Jesus Will!” she groaned, wiping her hands across her face.

“What?”

“I didn’t know it was him!” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“What do you mean?” Will glared at her suspiciously.

“I thought it was the other guy,” she offered resting her elbow on the table and dropping her head into her palm; feeling foolish. 

“The other guy…” Will repeated slowly. “Oh my God, you thought it was the opposing council?” he chuckled out in delight, watching as his partner groaned.

“I thought he was in your class, the other lawyer-“ she tried to explain and Will only laughed harder.

“Oh man,” he cackled, throwing his head back. “That is brilliant.”

“I feel like an idiot.” she snapped, moving back to her milkshake with a deep frown.

“It’s my fault Diane,” Will said, still grinning ridiculously. “I should have been clearer!”

“Damn right!” Diane replied with a dark look, her eyes thinned. “I thought I was getting Roger Moore when, in reality, I was getting the Malboro man!”

Will broke out into another fit of giggles at that, wiping his eyes to starve off tears of amusement.

“Oh, come on,” he said. “He’s not the Malboro man.”

“He dresses like him,” Diane snarked back with a roll of her eyes. Will frowned at her tone.

“Does this change things?” he questioned suddenly serious. Diane looked up and met his gaze with pursed lips.

“I don’t know.” she offered honestly. Will hummed thoughtfully.

“Is it because he’s no longer Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome?” he asked with a tilt of his head and Diane let out a burst of a giggle, rolling her eyes.

“No,” she replied meaningfully, her mind already reeling with the thought that he was better. “I just, I thought I was getting another you, and he’s not, he’s just-“

“Different.” Will finished for her.

“Yes,” Her partner nodded solemnly, thinking for a few moments.

“He isn’t me, and that’s why he’s a good fit.” he finally offered, looking to Diane. “He’s better than me-“

“-Will,” she cut him off with a shake of her head.

“No listen,” he said lowly and Diane’s eyes widened at his gruff tone. “A me is going to want my seat, he’s going to worm his way into our business, take clients – he’s going to be there for him and only him.” Diane’s shoulders deflated slightly, knowing he was right. “Kurt’s not like that, yeah he’s a little…” He thought for a moment. “…old fashioned,” he finished making Diane smile. “But he’s a good man, and an even better lawyer, and until I get back he’s what’s best for our firm.”

Diane stared at Will, her expression nervous as she pressed her lips together glumly.

“Six months with a Cowboy?” she confirmed, and Will grinned knowing he had her.

“Just six months,” he agreed, and Diane blew out a heavy breath.

“Okay, let’s do it.” she said shaking her head with a soft laugh, throwing caution to the wind. Will smiled back at her, reaching across the table to take her hands in his.

“Thank you,” he said, and Diane felt her heart ache. He was thanking her for more than just allowing Kurt to step in, he was thanking her for keeping his seat, for supporting him through this and mostly for allowing him to help her in his own way.

“I suppose you better send little Johnny down to the tavern to let that cowboy know,” she smirked out teasingly and Will rolled his eyes.

“I’ll give him a call.” he replied, releasing her hands. “Now, are you going to finish that or?” he questioned eyeing her milkshake.

“Go ahead,” she conceded feeling oddly lighter knowing she had help over the next six months, even if said help came with boots and spurs.

“I love you!” he said with a wink, pulling the shake toward him and taking a long gulp. Diane relaxed back into her chair, folding her arms across her chest.

“So, he’ll start Monday,”

“Yes,”

“Okay then, I’ll get on the phone about our name change, I won’t bother with the signage but we’re going to have to change it for legal purposes.”

Will’s eyes widened as she searched through her bag for her phone.

“I’ll email Sally right now and let her know, it’ll be Lockhart-“ she glanced up phone in hand, meeting the sheepish gaze of her partner. Her eyebrows bounced up expectantly as she waited for him to provide her with Kurt’s surname. There was a long moment of silence as the pair merely looked at each other.

“Lockhart/McVeigh.” Will finally confirmed, watching as Diane’s mouth fell open; her eyes bulging incredulously.

“WHAT?”


	2. Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoy and review.

Diane sighed loudly, pulling her glasses from her face and tossing them carelessly onto her desk. She let her eyes fall closed as she pinched the bridge of her nose; dulling the pain of her headache. It had been an extraordinarily busy Friday, the firm’s lawyers had been in to assist with the name change, she’d had a deposition that went horribly, horribly wrong and to top it all off, she had Julius, David Lee and Eli foaming at the mouth to take Will’s seat. All in all, it had been a hellish few hours.

Diane and Will would make the official announcement about Kurt McVeigh on Monday, they’d gather the partners as a united front. Until then however, she was stuck child-minding and ego-stroking as she placated the partners. 

Blowing out another puff of air, she opened her eyes. Looking down at the files and documents surrounding her, she groaned, pushing her chair back harshly, she had to get out of here for a bit; get some fresh air, calm down.

Grabbing her glasses and cell phone, she threw her bag over her shoulder and marched out of her office.

“I’m going out for coffee.” she told her assistant rather snippily, her mood eclipsing politeness.

“I can get it, Miss Lockhart?” The young woman offered, rising to her feet readily. 

“No.” Diane snapped back meanly, her face softening as she met the fearfully wide eyes of the girl in front of her. “Thank you,” she amended in a kinder tone. “I’d like to go myself.” The younger brunette smiled and dipped her head in a nod.

“I’ll clear your schedule for a bit,” she offered, and Diane smiled turning on her heels and heading for the elevator. 

“Diane!” David Lee called as he slithered to her side. “We need to talk.” Diane rolled her eyes, letting out a pitiful huff.

“Not now David, I’m going out.” she moaned dejectedly. She just couldn’t take one more minute of this terrible morning.

“Good,” David said with an eerily perky smile. “I’ll come with you.”

“No!” Diane growled, turning so she stood directly in front of the divorce lawyer; her hand pressing roughly against his chest to stop him. “David, I am leaving the office, I am going out- alone! Without you, or Eli, or Julius and your childish complaints. If you want to whine, then please make an appointment with my assistant. If not, then go back to your office, and do your fucking job.”

David stared blankly at her, his mouth falling open slightly as he swallowed. Diane quirked an eyebrow, waiting for a response that never came. The divorce attorney turned with a set jaw and stomped off in the direction of his office, his petulance making Diane smirk.

Hitting her elevator button, she scrolled aimlessly through her phone, careful not to go anywhere near her email. A loud ding signalled the arrival of the lift. Stepping forward she suddenly came to an abrupt halt, her body crashing heavily into someone else.

“Easy,” A gruff voice muttered, large hands circling her trim waist and keeping her upright. Diane blinked up at the man who’d stopped her from falling. Her cheeks flushed as she met dark, deep eyes.

“Mr. McVeigh,” she gasped breathily, her hands coming to rest on his chest as she slowly pushed back and away from him. “I wasn’t looking,” she offered shyly, her heart thundering beneath her silk blouse, his hands hot against her lower back.

“Okay,” he offered plainly with a dazzling smile and a deep, slow drawl. Diane forced herself back further, letting his arms fall back to his sides as she tucked a lock of her golden hair behind her ear awkwardly.

The elevator pinged again, and Kurt’s hand shot out to stop the doors from closing, looking at her in the most unnerving way. God, he really was attractive. 

"You leaving?" he asked after a long moment, tilting his head curiously, his lips parting slightly. Diane held back a shiver, huffing out a silent, nervous laugh. What the hell was wrong with her? 

"I was just heading out for a coffee," Diane said with an overly bright smile and Kurt smirked, his eyes thinning.

"Huh," he hummed.

"Huh?" she repeated with a frown.

"It's," he paused hesitating slightly, his hand jutting out again to keep the lift from shutting. "It's just, you don’t look like the kind of woman who gets her own coffee." he offered after a beat, shrugging his shoulders.

Diane glared at him her blue eyes blinking angrily. 

"And what kind of woman do I look like, Mr. McVeigh?" she retorted darkly, titling her head pointedly.

Kurt merely smirked; reaching out his hand to stop the elevator doors closing yet again. His intense hazel eyes were locked on her blue; neither willing to back down from their sudden and heated staring contest. 

Diane quirked an eyebrow, pouting her lips expectantly, she wasn’t backing down, she wanted an answer. Kurt cocked his head, his mouth falling open ever so slightly as he took her in. 

"Well?" Diane prompted with a scolding look after a few more seconds of silence, folding her arms across her chest defensively. Suddenly he was far less attractive than before. Kurt smirked, again blocking the door as it tried to shut once more.

He continued to watch her, his eyes locked onto her hostile gaze. Diane felt her cheeks colour slightly, both in fury and arousal. Why wasn’t he saying anything? 

"I’ll buy you a coffee." he finally said, his tone smouldering as he touched his tongue to his top lip in an alluring move that had her eyes glued to his mouth. 

“I wasn’t looking for company.” shefired back, her eyes bouncing back to his awkwardly. She pursed her lips trying to appear in control as she smiled maliciously. 

Kurt let out a silent chuckle, stepping to the side and holding the lift at bay as he motioned for her to enter the box. Diane's eyebrow bounced up incredulously as she crossed her arms, her bag banging against her hip as se pouted.

The lift doors pinged again as Kurt inclined his head nodding for her to enter. Eventually after another bounce of the elevator doors, her pride won out; she wasn’t about to let him know he’d baffled her. 

Stepping onto the elevator she stood up straight, spinning round and glaring as the silver doors as Kurt slipped in beside her. His shoulder brushed against hers, forcing her to shuffle to the side. She could already smell his cologne; an intoxicating mix of masculinity and smoke, she didn't want to feel the warmth of his body too. 

The silence in the small box was deafening and Diane bit the side of her cheek. She was still pissed, his hint that she was some holier than thou priss who couldn't even get her own coffee angered her immensely. And yet, at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel horribly attracted to his stoic persona. This could only end badly.

-0-0-0- 

 Kurt cocked his head to the side, a small grin turning up beneath his moustache.

“You’re astonishing.” Diane said with a shake of her head, her brow furrowed deeply.

“I am?” 

“I don’t know if I should be insulted or flattered by the things you say?” she  breathed it in confusion.

“No reason you can’t be both,” he offered  with a small shrug, leaning back in his chair and reaching his arms out in a stretch.

“It’s paradoxical,” she countered, her face still scrunched in confusion.

“That’s a big word,” he hummed with a nod of his head and Diane’s mouth dropped open slightly.

“It eludes me,” she murmured her blue eyes locked into his green in question.

“I am a man of mystery,” ne replied in a tease and Diane snorted out a laugh, rolling her eyes.

“I suppose we should get to know each other then?” she said after a long moment of eye contact, fidgeting with her hair under his impenetrable stare.

“If you like,”

Diane scoffed again, shaking her head with an awestruck smile, he was insane, he had to be.

“Okay,” she replied, trying to sound as professional as possible. “Where should be start?”

“Well,” Kurt began, folding his arms and leaning them on the table as he shot her a winning grin. “Will said you have a problem with my name.” he smirked, eyes twinkling in amusement.

Diane blushed, dipping her head slightly in embarrassment. How dare Will?  

“I did.” she finally found the courage to reply, meeting his eyes cautiously; her cheeks still red hot.

“So what changed?” he questioned lowly, his tone deep and deliciously attractive

“Ah, nothing,” she replied, tucking a stray curl behind her ear as she surveyed the small coffee shop; suddenly keen to look anywhere but at him. “I just realized it could be a lot worse.”

“How so?” he frowned after a moment and Diane’s gaze returned to his face. She smiled with a small shrug, playing idily with the sachets of sugar on the table.

“Well, my firm could be called Lockhart/Bin Ladin.” she offered up with a smirk that had Kurt chuckling.

“Touché”

Diane smiled wryly, before she could reply, a young boy bounced up to their table, his smile too big and too bright.

“What can I get y’all?” The teenager questioned enthusiastically, his brown eyes dancing between the couple. Diane pressed her lips together pleasantly amused to find their waiter was from the South too.

“Vanilla skim latte.” Diane responded politely, unfolding her napkin and laying it neatly in her lap. She could practically feel Kurt judging her drink choice.

“Coffee. Black.” Kurt said gruffly and Diane rolled her eyes. Of course. The waiter smiled and left them in a hurry. 

“So,” Diane sighed with a tight smile, leaning on the table with crossed arms. “Let’s get to know each other.” Kurt smirked, quirking an eyebrow. 

“What do you wanna know?” he replied in that same sexy drawl and Diane felt her stomach flip in the most delicious way. He really did have such a delicious voice. God, how was he able to be so condescending and yet at the same time, so... flirty?

Diane pursed her lips thoughtfully, her bright blue eyes meeting his dark green. 

“Why don’t I know you?” she asked with a tilt of her head. Kurt’s brow scrunched. “I’ve been a lawyer for over thirty years, why is it I’ve never heard of you?” she clarified, her eyes thinned intensely as she studied his face. Kurt smiled coyly.

Looking out at the people littering the small coffee shop, the question hung heavy between them. Just as she was about to speak again, annoyed by his lack of response, he cut her off

“I practiced for a few years just out of law school,” he began still looking anywhere but at her. “In DC mostly, then my father got sick and I moved back, ended up taking over the family business.” Diane’s eyebrows rose, both intrigued and impressed. “Spent the last twenty years running his company.” he continued turning back to her with a shy grin and a shrug. 

Diane bit her bottom lip, about to push for more information when the waiter returned with their drinks. 

“Thank you,” she muttered quietly, curling her cold fingers around the glass and bringing it to her lips. She hummed closing her eyes in enjoyment. When she blinked them open a second later, she met the intense gaze of her companion. Kurt’s was locked on her, his eyes dipping to her lips and making her blush. 

Ducking her head slightly, she sipped her drink again, gathering the courage to meet his gaze once more. 

“What business was your father in?” Kurt smiled curiously, the tips of his lips just curving up. He looked almost puzzled. 

“Ballistics.” he supplied bluntly and Diane’s eyes grew. 

“McVeigh,” she said softly and Kurt’s grin widened. “You’re the ballistic expert.” Diane blushed, her eyes sliding closed knowingly.

“Was.” he corrected and Diane shook her head, turning to look around the small cafe, wanting to hide her embarrassment. Of course, McVeigh Ballistics. Will raved about him all the time. She’d never used them, mainly put off by the name but also at the idea of guns.

“So you like guns then?” she finally asked after a long, pained silence. Kurt smiled nodding. 

“I like guns.” His mouth curled around the words in a dark and sexy way that had Diane flushing for an altogether different reason. Was he really flirting with her? Did his voice dip deliberately or was she just imagining it?

“Okay,” Diane replied dumbly, taking another gulp of her latte to break the awkward quiet. 

“You ever fired a gun?” he asked out of the blue and Diane’s eyes widened; taken aback. Her expression must have betrayed her. “You’ve never even touched one have you?” he confirmed with a knowing smirk and Diane ducked her head slightly trying to hide her blush. “You should, you know?” he continued and Diane’s eyes bounced back to his in surprise. He  _was_  flirting. “You’d look good with a gun.” he purred, sipping on his drink as his eyes danced across her flushed face. 

“Okay, nothing good can come from this.” she said after a moment, knowing they had to stop this conversation before they said something that pushed them right over the line of professionalism. 

“You scared, Miss Lockhart?” he teased raising his eyebrows suggestively. 

“No!” she responded quickly, stubbornly. Truth was, she was afraid, not of the gun, but rather the idea of him watching her with it. Him standing behind her, his chest touching her back as his hands slid over her arms and hands; correcting her form, his breath hot against the skin of her neck. Jesus, she needed to get a grip. She barely knew this man! And if that wasn’t bad enough she had to work with him for the next few months, she couldn’t be lusting after him, squeezing her thighs together every time he walked into the room. This had to stop. 

“I don’t like guns.” she said in response, hoping her voice sounded more controlled than she felt. Kurt merely smiled, the grin unnerving in the most sinful way. 

“Too bad.” he muttered as he sipped on his coffee, his eyes still boring into hers. “I could have taught you.” he flirted lowly, his voice deep and seductive. 

“Don’t do that.” she replied quickly, sitting up straighter. 

“Do what?”

“Flirt with me.” she supplied with the bounce of an eyebrow. 

“Why not?” he laughed and Diane felt her stomach flip-flop again. “You like it.” he continued casually, his words less of a question and more of a statement. She  _did_  like it. Perhaps too much. 

“You’re my partner.”

“And?”

“And you shouldn’t flirt with your partners.” she shot back with a meaningful gaze.

“Do you flirt with Will?” he pushed, cocking his head to the side as his eyes bore into hers, his grin easy and knowing. 

“Of course, but it’s different!” she tried to defend herself, her voice hitching slightly as she met his gaze. 

“Why?”

“Because it is!” she snapped back angrily, her mind suddenly reeling.

Why was flirting with Will any different than flirting with Kurt? Her heart fluttered as a word popped into her head. Intent. Flirting with Will was fine because it didn’t mean anything. There was nothing more, no intent. With Kurt, there was, she wanted it to be more than flirting, she wanted it to lead to something. When she flirted or thought about flirting with Kurt, there was intent - on both sides

“Okay.” he supplied simply, slowly bringing his coffee to his mouth again.  Diane’s eyes thinned at him. Was that it? Were they done talking about it? Did okay mean he wasn’t gonna flirt with her anymore? God, she hoped not. 

“Do you have any questions for me?” she  asked trying to redirect the conversation onto a more professional path.

Kurt smirked, his eyes twinkling. 

“I can’t ask you the question I want to.” hebreplied seductively his voice once again dipping. Diane gasped audibly, jerking her hand and spilling the caramel colored liquid slightly. Moping up the mess with a serviette, she turned her attention back to the man across from her. 

“Ask me something else then?” she prompted.

There was another long silence as he merely stared at her, his eyes scanning her face intently. 

“Okay,” he drawled slowly. “Lockhart? Any relation to the Governor?” Diane smiled proudly at that.

“He was my father

“Ah,” he said with a nod and a smugly amused look. “That explains it,” he mumbled into his coffee

Diane’s eyes thinned angrily. God, he was racing between hot and cold so quickly she was starting to feel dizzy. What the hell was going on?

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded irritably.  

“Nothing, nothing it just makes sense is all.” he offered with another casual shrug, his eyes once again dancing around the coffee shop to avoid hers.

“What?” she hissed our darkly, waiting for him to meet her eyes. What the hell was wrong with him, weren’t men from the South supposed to be polite and reserved? 

“Nothing, just the whole self-righteous lawyer act. It makes sense now.”

Diane’s eyes nearly fell from her head. Her mouth dropping open in horror.

“How dare you,” she hissed out maliciously and Kurt frowned, taken aback by her furious expression. “My father was a great man. And I am in no way self-righteous.”

Kurt sniggered into his mug, rolling his eyes. “Sure you’re not.” Diane couldn’t believe this, he’d gone from flirting with her to insulting her, he eluded her. “Democrats.” he muttered, finishing off his heated drink.

Diane suddenly smiled, pursing her lips in a knowing look. 

“Oh, so that’s what this is about. You’re a Republican.”

Kurt shot her a winning grin that had her heart fluttering slightly. Damnit! She was supposed to be angry with him.

“Took you long enough” he baited and Diane chuckled lowly, her smirk mean. 

“Let me guess, a cowboy-hick living in a cabin in the woods somewhere, writing angry letters to the editor?”

“In contrast to your privileged, Highland Park, liberal self?” he fired back and Diane threw her head back in a deep rich laugh.

Kurt’s eyes were immediately drawn to the smooth pale skin of her throat, before dipping dangerously to the low cut silk of her top. Diane shook her head looking back to him, noticing the location of his eyes.

“My eyes are up here, McVeigh.” she snarked and Kurt's gaze bounced up. His lips twirled as he smirked, showing no sign of shame or remorse for the inappropriate behavior of his hazel-green eyes. 

Diane took a slow sip of her coffee, her stomach twisting at the realization that she didn’t mind his forwardness, in fact, despite herself she found she wanted his eyes on her; all over her. 

“So,” she started again as she set her drink down. “Gun loving-republican-cowboy, part time lawyer with wandering eyes. I forget anything?”

Kurt shook his head with a charming smile    

“Stoic. You forgot stoic.”

“Ah, how silly of me.” she replied with a soft grin.

“And you? Bleeding-heart, loquacious liberal, full-time lawyer, part-time clotheshorse?”

Diane cackled at that; her laugh loud and genuine. The sound trickled out of her like honey and Kurt couldn’t help but stare, God she was an enigma.

“Sometimes.” she agreed meeting his eyes. After a moment Kurt smiled at her cocking his head.

“I’ve followed your work,” he suddenly admitted and Diane couldn’t help the pleasantly surprised look that flashed across her face.

“You have?” 

“Indirectly,” he said with a shrug. “I kept track of Will and you came up.” Diane hummed, finishing off her latte with a coy smirk.

“Forgive me, but how are you an Will friends?” she blurted out with an interested frown.

“Georgetown,” he supplied simply and Diane scoffed.

“Oh ye of few words,” she mocked with a small chuckle.

“I was a teachers assitant, we got friendly, kept in touch.” he elaborated with a nod.

“You’re so... _different_.” she murmured unconsciously, her eyes widening when she realized she’d spoken the words aloud. “I mean,” she fumbled blushing again.

“He and I are more alike than you’d guess,” he offered up kindly. Diane’s eyes thinned as she smirked at Kurt.

“Really? You’re a hotheaded playboy who shoots from the hip and for whom baseball is a religion?” she sassed with a smugly raised eyebrow.

Kurt laughed lowly, shaking his head. His green eyes sparkling as they met her blue.

“No, you got me there. I’m a one woman kinda guy.” he replied smoothly and Diane felt her cheeks colour, her heart rate pumping. Was he suggesting? “We have similar outlooks, I don’t share his obsession with baseball but we have common interests.” Kurt continued without a thought to her sharp intake of breath.

“Like?” she prompted, her voice coming out rough and husky.

“Well, the RNC to start with,” he grinned merrily. Diane scoffed loudly at that, throwing her head back in another amused chuckle.

“Oh sure,” she laughed but Kurt merely smirked, his eyebrows bouncing up knowingly. “Come on,” Diane said with a shake of her head. “You expect me to believe that Will, Will Gardner is a republican?” she snarked incredulously.

Kurt tilted his head to the side, arching his eyebrow in amusement.

“No,” Diane continued shaking her head in confusion. “No, I mean, no, I think I’d know if my own partner was-“ she trailed off, her mouth dropping open slightly. Her sky blue eyes suddenly widened as she looked into his. “You’re screwing with me?” she confirmed and Kurt laughed lowly.

“Will said it would be fun.” he offered, leaning back in his chair, his hands tucked under his arms as he flashed her a smug smile.

“Bastard!” Diane hissed, frowning deeply, her pout petulant and childlike.

“I try.” he replied with another winning grin. Diane rolled her eyes with a Hmph. There was another strained silence and Diane fiddled with the sugar sachets again.

“Did you know about Will borrowing the money?” she finally worked up the courage to ask. Kurt met her eyes dead on.

“Yes.” 

Diane pressed her lips together tightly, mulling over his reply. Kurt waited patiently, his eyes watching her mind race.

“He said you’re a moral guy,” she said after a beat.

“I suppose,” he offered casually.

“And you’re just okay with it?” she pushed with an intense look.

“He’s paying a pretty heavy price for it,” Kurt replied blandly, shrugging his shoulders as he looked at her. Diane merely nodded, her eyes dancing across the coffee shop to watch the busy baristas. “Can I ask you something?” he queried suddenly.

Diane nodded.

“Why are you sticking by him?” Diane bulked at his question, her frown bordering on horrified. “He told me what you did with the pro-bono department, and how you lessened the sentence. He stole money, and you helped him. He’s put your firm through hell with this Grand Jury investigation and I know you two were on the outs a couple months back, so why aren’t you cutting your loses? Surely you’d have candidates jumping through hoops to take his seat?”

“Because he’s my friend.” Diane snapped almost angrily. “He my best friend. And although he’s a pain in my ass, he’s also loyal. And kind and caring. And he’d do it for me.” Kurt’s face broke into a blinding smile. “What?” Diane demanded sharply, her eyes thinned.

“Nothing,” he replied with an enigmatic smirk. Diane pursed her lips, her gaze still guarded and suspicious. Kurt’s amusement was palpable and she wondered if she would ever get used to his rollercoaster attitude.

“Is this how it’s going to be?” Diane asked exasperated, her frown deep. 

“What?” 

“The next six months,” she replied meeting his eyes dead on. “All enigmatic answers, stoic staring and republican politics?” she clarified, her heart beating a little faster as he flashed her another bright smile. 

“Maybe,” he offered enigmatically and Diane let out a huff of laugh rolling her eyes. Kurt’s eyes dropped to the skin of her throat once again, entranced by the movement that came along with her laughter.   
Diane calmed herself and met his intense gaze. 

“Kurt,” she murmured shaking her head slowly. 

“Yes?” he said in a low husky voice. 

“I’m not gonna sleep with you,” she told him seriously, ducking her head slightly. Kurt mimicked her stance, dipping his head too. 

“I didn’t ask you to sleep with me, Diane.” he smirked with a silky drawl. “Why, do you wanna sleep with me?” His eyebrows bounced suggestively and Diane licked her lips at his expression. 

“I-“ she began only to be cut off by the shrill sound of her mobile. “Shit!” she cursed, pulling her bag onto her lap and scrambling through it to find her phone. She kept her eyes on her busy hands, her cheeks hot; adrenaline racing through her blood. 

Wrapping her fingers around the device she shot him an apologetic look. 

“Will?” she answered quickly, purposely looking away from Kurt. “What?” she shrieked, her eyes going wide. “He did what?” Her fury was palpable as she gripped the phone tightly. “Damn it!”  she swore again, “Okay, I’ll be back in the office in 10.” she nodded, lifting her hand to signal over the waiter. “I’m at coffee... what? Oh? No, no one.” she.  fumbled out and Kurt could tell she was talking about him. “Okay, Okay, bye.” 

Diane tucked her phone back into her bag, pulling out her purse. 

“I have to go, there’s a problem at work,” she announced, feigning a smile. Kurt nodded, holding his hand up to her. 

“No, I got it.” he said politely and Diane faultered, he could tell she was wary of letting him pay. “It’s the least I can do,” he added with a winning grin and Diane bit her bottom lip, nodding her head in defeat. 

“Thank you,” she offered, standing and shrugging on her coat. 

“No problem,” he said reaching into his pocket to pull out a couple of bills. Diane flashed him one last smile before racing toward the door. “I’ll see you at the office.” he drawled, knowing  she’d frozen in her stride. 

“What?” she asked turning back to him. Kurt hid his smile badly, tilting his head to the left. 

“We’re partners, your problems are my problems now,” he replied with a casual shrug. Diane’s mouth fell open slightly.

“Oh,” she nodded dumbly. “Of course. See you there.” 

Kurt laughed to himself as he stood, watching as Diane raced down the street toward the firm. Six months with her was going to be oh-so much fun.   



	3. Announcement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being patient. I hope it was worth the wait. 
> 
> Enjoy!

-0-0-0-

“Here, here, here, here, here and here.” The stoutly man indicated, his stubby finger pointing to the document. Will met Diane’s eyes, rolling his own as he danced a pen over several dotted lines. 

“I feel like I’m buying a house,” Will grumbled as the lawyer turned the page and pointed out more places to sign. 

Diane chuckled lowly from her seat opposite him. 

“Nah, just signing away your first born.” she teased with a glowing smile. 

“I knew you were after my swimmers!” Will joked back with less humour than normal; his tone edging on vindictive. Diane let out a loud, forced laugh; wanting this strange tension to disappear as soon as possible. The chubby man smiled awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with their conversation and feeling the animosity that was think in the air. 

“This is a legally binding contract and will become void on the night of January 15th.” The other man noted unnecessarily, both the partners were more than aware of the date that would come in six months. 

“Thank you, Mr. Rogers.” Diane replied politely, standing from behind her desk and putting an end to the heavy silence that had settled over the trio. The small man smiled formally, packing up the documents neatly and following Diane as she led him out of her office. “My assistant will be in touch.” she finished in lieu of goodbye, shutting the door quickly and quietly before leaning back against it. 

“So,” she began slowly. “you’re officially a free man.” she said. Will stood from her visitors chair, turning around to lean on her desk; his arms folded tightly across his chest. 

“Officially.” He forced a smile and Diane felt her heart clench. 

“It’s only six months, Will.” she tried kindly. 

“Easy for you to say,” he spat back meanly and Diane’s eyes widened at the sneer on his face. She knew he was just lashing out, that he was struggling with the thought of being away from the law so long and so she would take his anger and sorrow if that’s what he needed. The partners stared at each other neither saying anything. 

The quiet between them caused the tension to build exponentially until, suddenly, Will’s shoulders fell, his head flopping into his hands. 

“Jesus!” he sighed, wiping his face roughly before looking up to her. “I’m sorry, Diane.” he said shaking his head. Diane smiled glumly, slowly walking over to him. She stretched her arms out widely waiting for him to join her in the middle of the room. 

Will slumped over to her, his arms curling around her waist as hers folded around his neck. His head fell against her shoulder as he drew comfort from his friend. 

“We can do this Will,” she said, pressing a kiss to his neck. Pulling back she met his gaze. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeated with a shrug and Diane let out a breath. 

“Can I have my friend back now?” she asked in a joking tone and Will shook off her touch, rolling his eyes as he moved to flop into her couch. 

“I suppose.” he grinned and Diane walked over to join him, the cushions swallowing her up. 

She nudged his thigh with hers, smirking.  

“What can I do to make you feel better?” she asked, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it. Will turned to face her, a shit-eating grin sliding onto his lips. 

“Wanna have sex?” he offered flirtatiously. 

Diane rolled her eyes with a scoff. 

“Oh sure,” she laughed shoving his shoulder with hers. 

“It’s okay,” he replied after a beat, answering her previous question more seriously. “I just need to find something to do for the next six months” 

“You could write a book?” she suggested thoughtfully. 

“Oh, I like it!” Will nodded his eyes thinned pensively. “A crime thriller!” he mused. 

“Or a romance novel, finally write about all of your office exploits.” she teased and Will laughed. 

“Or I could talk about  _your_  naughty office shenanigans.” he replied with a quirked eyebrow and a suggestive smirk. Diane rolled her eyes. 

“Oh you’d love that!” she laughed. Taking a deep breath she shifted, curling her leg beneath her as she turned to face him. "So, there are some things we need to discuss before we make the announcement..." she said softly, her smile waning slightly. 

“Uh-oh” he replied with a frown. "That sounds ominous."

Diane smiled cocking her head to the side. 

“Perhaps," she offered coyly. "We need to set some ground rules for McVeigh." 

“Like?" he prompted his eyes thinning. 

“Like, how he dresses." Diane breathed out with a pained grin. Will stared at her, his lips pursed in amusement. 

“What’s wrong with how he dresses?” he questioned innocently, failing to conceal his grin. 

“Will,” Diane warned sternly. “Don’t make me say it.” Will smirked, his eyebrow bouncing up knowingly. “Argh!” Diane groaned her head falling back onto the couch as she let out a heavy sigh. “Fine! He dresses like he’s in a Western.”

“And?” he feigned confusion as he drawled out the question. 

“And,” she responded, meeting his gaze seriously. “He needs to look the part. We can’t have... John Wayne walking around here. We have an image to uphold." Her voice was exasperated and her eyes tired. 

"So, what? You want me to tell the guy what to wear?" Will scoffed incredulously, smirking in amusement. Diane shrugged meekly, her smile small. "No!" Will said firmly, reading her expression. "Diane, no"

"You know him and it'll be better coming from you," she pointed out seriously. 

“No,” Will told her simply, shaking his head defiantly. Diane’s eyes widened. 

“Please Will?” 

“I said no.” Will replied meeting her gaze. Diane opened her mouth to protest but Will interrupted. "Diane, no one is gonna care what he wears!" 

"I am!" she replied, her tone now viciously annoyed. Will pursed his lips, his jaw setting.

"Then you should speak to him." Will replied stoically. "Because I won't do it." 

Diane sneered at him, her irritation plastered across her face. The partners glared at each other for a long, tense moment, nether backing down.

"Fine!" Diane hissed after a while, her eyes thinned meanly as she met his sparklingly smug grin. "I'll go speak to him."

Will leaned back on the couch resting his hands behind his head as he watched her stand and straighten an invisible crease on her slacks. 

Diane moved toward the door, her strides determined and fierce. 

"Where are you going?" Will frowned, sitting forward on the sofa and leaning on his knees. 

"To see McVeigh, because my partner is an ass and can't be bothered to help me out." she shot back meanly, her face screwed up as she glared darkly at him.

"Kurt's here?" 

"In his office," Diane replied blandly, her tone no less malicious. Will stretched forward a little more, craning his neck to get a better view of the office across from Diane's. 

"Diane, he's not in his office." Will offered with a quirked eyebrow. Diane turned back to her partner, her face scrunched up her eyes thinned in confusion. 

"Yes he is," she told him slowly, enunciating her words perfectly. "I left him there to unpack just before the meeting with Rogers." Will looked at her as if she'd lost her mind, stretching out his arm and showing her the empty office across from her's.

"No, he's not." Will replied sassily and Diane let out a loud laugh, rolling her eyes.

"He's not taking your office," she laughed incredulously. 

"Why not?" Her partner frowned and Diane's eyes widened almost comically. 

"Because," she replied quickly, too quickly. "That's your office."

"Yes," Will drawled condescending. "And he's replacing me." he continued with feigned politeness and Diane crossed her arms defiantly; her expression incredulous. "So he should get my office." 

"No," she replied in the same falsely polite tone. "He's not getting your office."

"Why the hell not?" Will asked in a huff. 

"Because I said so!" Diane snapped back petulantly, annoyed by his outrage. 

"Well, I say he gets it!” Will shot back with a feigned smile, folding his arms across his chest too. 

"You don't work here," Diane laughed back cruelly, her lips pursed as she raised an eyebrow challengingly. Will's face darkened, his mouth falling open slightly and Diane could see the hurt in his eyes. Well, fuck. 

She knew bringing up his suspension was a low blow, especially after the last 30 minutes but she had panicked. She desperately wanted the topic to be over before she blurted out the real reason she'd given Kurt an office at the other end of the building. The truth was, it wasn't out of loyalty to Will, nor out of convenience, she merely didn't want to look up from her desk and see his face. She was already struggling to contain her attraction to the man, and seeing him every time she looked up from her laptop was tempting fate. 

"I'm sorry," she backtracked, her face softening and her shoulders deflating. "That was cruel," she acknowledged and Will let out a loud sigh. 

"But true," he shrugged. Diane's head cocked to the side sadly. 

"No, it's not." she replied kindly, walking over to him and taking his hands in hers, pulling him to his feet. "This is always going to be your firm Will, our firm." Will forced a smile, squeezing her hands. "I just," she continued, unsure of how to explain herself. "I just don't want anyone taking your office okay?" she finished lamely. 

Will stared at her for a long moment looking for any sign of hesitation, before finally releasing a deep breath. 

"Okay," he conceded. "Who knew you were so sentimental?" he joked, bouncing his eyebrows up suggestively. 

"Argh," Diane hissed, rolling her eyes as she stepped away. "You're intolerable." she groaned but Will could see the beginnings of a smile tugging on her painted lips. 

"You love me," he threw back. 

"Just barely," she replied deadpan. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and get a cowboy out of his clothes." Will's eyebrows bounced up, his smirk tortuously suggestive. As soon as the words left her mouth she'd realised her mistake, her eyes widening as she tried to backtrack. "I mean, I just meant," she stuttered her heart pounding in ears. Talk about a Freudian slip. "Oh," she grumbled after a moment, her face bunched into a sneer. "You know what I mean!" 

Will chuckled lowly, falling back into her sofa. Diane cast him one last dark look before turning on her heel and pushing through the door.

"Good luck with the naked cowboy!" Will called after her, his comment earning him a very unladylike gesture that left him laughing even harder.

-0-0-0- 

Diane walked purposefully toward Kurt's office, her mind racing with a million ideas on how to broach the subject with her new partner, and if she was honest, her heart racing at the idea of seeing him again. 

This was why he couldn't occupy the office across from hers. She’d be too distracted. She had already memorised the way his lips curled beneath his moustache. Had already imagined how his large hands may feel on her naked skin, how his lips would taste. No, he couldn't take Will's office, it wasn't even an option. She was lusting after this man like a schoolgirl, blushing as she thought of him, imaging his hand holding hers, his voice low and sexy in her ear. She was floored, encapsulated by him. The attraction so electric, so biting and so thick, she barely knew what to do with herself. 

As she neared his office, she tried to calm her mind and focus solely on her objective. If she was being completely honest, Kurt McVeigh's choice of clothes didn't really bother her, they were antiquated for sure, rough and clearly not fit for a courtroom, but she didn't really mind them. There was something rustic and alluring about his cowboy attire, it suited him. Nevertheless, the reputation of the firm took precedent.

Rounding a corner, she came to an abrupt halt, her pointed heels digging to the plush carpeting. Her eyes fell to the man in the office in front of her. Kurt had his plaid sleeves rolled up passed his elbows, his tanned forearms on full display. Diane licked her lips as she watched him lift a box onto a high shelf, the muscles in his arms rippling beneath his skin. She watched as he dusted his hands on his dark jeans, stepping back to appraise his work; books upon books lined up neatly. 

She gulped and released a deep breath before straightening her shoulders and walking toward Kurt's office. She tapped her knuckles on the glass, crossing her ankles as she leant against the door jamb. 

"Mr. McVeigh," she greeted as casually as possible, unable to conceal a smile as he spun round in surprise. His green eyes lit up and Diane felt her heart skip a beat. 

"It's Kurt," he reminded her with a pointed look, moving to roll the cuff of one sleeve, then the other down.

"Kurt," she pronounced slowly, not liking how good it felt to curl her tongue around the syllables of his name, her mind traitorously jumping to how good it would feel to scream said name. Sucking in a deep breath, she forced her next words out of her mouth. "I need to talk to you about your clothes." 

Kurt smirked crossing his arms in amusement, his eyebrow bouncing up incredulously. 

"My clothes?" 

"Ah, yes," Diane blushed, ducking her head slightly; looking at her feet. After a few seconds, she built up the courage to meet his grinning face. "Look Mr. Mc- Kurt," she amended. "You see," she tried as diplomatically as possible. "We have a certain image to uphold, our clients expect a certain level of...elegance," she continued. "We're expected to present ourselves in a manner that befits our clientele, and as unorthodox as this seems, I'm going to have to ask you, we need you to wear a suit and tie." she finished lamely, clasping her hands behind her back, like a schoolgirl in the principal’s office.

Kurt gave her a curious look, his head tilting to the side as a slow grin slid onto his lips. 

"Okay." he nodded politely, and Diane’s eyes lit up; she’d thought he’d put up more of a fight. 

"Okay?" she confirmed, and he smiled in response. "Well, thank you," she smiled back at him, nodding her head happily. "I’ll see you in the conference room at one?" she queried, and Kurt dipped his head again in agreement. She stared at him for a long minute, her eyes dancing across his face. "Thank you," she repeated with some finality, forcing herself to turn on her heel and move toward the exit. 

"Oh Diane?" he called causing her to turn back. Her blood bubbling at him calling her by her given name. "What are you wearing?" he questioned with a tilted head, his eyes thinned; raking over her attire. 

Diane frowned at that, looking down at her clothes and then back to his face. 

"What?" she frowned, her hands awkwardly running across her clothing. "It's, it’s a pant-suit." she offered in a stutter, her eyes thinned suspiciously. 

"Oh, all right," he said with a casual shrug, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It’s just that women should really wear skirts in the work place, it’s more professional- we don’t want you looking like a man." he finished, and Diane saw red, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping. 

"Excuse me?" she shrieked in outrage. 

"I’m just saying women should wear skirts- it’s how things are done, and you’d look much better in them." he added with a smirk. 

"What?" Diane growled lowly, stepping toward him viciously, her blue eyes dark with fury. 

"I’m just saying it would be appropriate-" Kurt tried, gesturing to her pants. 

"You chauvinistic bastard!" she roared shaking her head and gritting her teeth. "That is the most antiquated, sexist, misogynistic thing I have ever had the displeasure of hearing!” Kurt pressed his lips together almost smiling beneath his thick moustache, the move only irritating Diane further. "You don’t get to tell me what to wear! It’s my Goddamn choice!"

She raged, her hands gesticulating wildly as she glared daggers at him. "I'll wear whatever I damn-well please!" she finished heatedly, now close enough to him to shove her finger into his chest angrily. 

The pair remained silent for a few beats, Diane still fuming as she awaited a response that didn’t come. Kurt merely folded his arms across his chest and smirked, waiting patiently for her to catch up. It took longer than it should have for Diane to realize what had happened. To realise how easily and effectively he’d played her. Her cheeks flushed red as she ducked her head in embarrassment. 

"Well played." she mumbled as she looked up again, meeting his eyes meekly. 

"Thank you." he grinned proudly.

"So, no suit and tie then?" she confirmed in a sigh with a dull smirk. 

"No." he replied not unkindly, meeting her blue eyes seriously. "Diane I’m aware my choice of clothing isn’t exactly for everyone, but it’s what I’m comfortable in and your clients will get used to that. My clothes do not dictate my ability to litigate, the same way that yours don’t define your sex. I understand the level of professionalism that is required here, and I will adhere to that, but I won’t compromise myself to do it, not even for you." 

Diane blinked at the man, dumbfounded.  _Not even for you._  Her heart fluttered at those few words. Was he implying? No, no he couldn’t be. He couldn’t mean it like that, although, one thing was for sure, he could speak.

He was eloquent and pointed and she felt her lower abdomen clench at the thought. He wasn’t just some dumb-hick, he wasn’t just common or ignorant, rather stoically opinionated and clever. My God, was he clever. Diane licked her lips slowly, trying to slow her heart - she’d always had a thing for men who could challenge her with intellect. 

"Okay." Diane agreed, conceding with a small nod and a coy smile. Kurt replied in kind, his grin bright and sexy. 

"I’ll see you for the announcement." he replied, and Diane hummed her confirmation before turning and leaving his office.

 

-0-0-0-

 

The sound of David Lee’s ranting filled the crowed room, his tone loud and annoyed as he went on and on about how Diane couldn’t run the firm alone. Will turned to his partner, meeting her eyes. Diane smirked as Will rolled his eyes, years of friendship allowing them to communicate without words. The divorce attorney rambled on and this time it was Diane’s turn to roll her eyes. With a slight nod in her partner’s direction, she gave him the go ahead he was looking for.

“Okay David,” Will began in a loud, stern tone. “Before you start rallying troops for the mutiny, I’d like to remind you that without Diane you’d have been outvoted years ago, so before you snap at her, you’d do well to remember that she has a lot of allies in this firm and that my allies? are her allies! And you, you are one vote away from being out on your ass!” David pouted childishly as he met Will’s gaze, the eyes of the firm all falling to the divorce attorney. After a long, painful moment David set his jaw, grumpily taking his seat once more. 

Julius smirked smugly beside him, his eyes glowing as he looked to Diane. The name partner couldn’t help herself, a small smile creeping onto her lips as her heart swelled at Will’s loyalty.

“Now, unless anyone else wants question my competence,” Diane began with a sneer, glancing around the room but speaking to only one man. “There are a few things we need to discuss.” Taking her seat between Will and Kurt, her arms folded neatly across the desk as Will took over. 

“As David so kindly pointed out,” Will snarked with a dark look in the direction of the divorce attorney. “I will be stepping down for the duration of my suspension. After a lot of consideration, Diane and I have decided that it would be best for the firm if someone stepped into my place to help out. Kurt McVeigh will be a locum of sorts, instead of dividing up all my cases and putting added pressure on both the partners and the associates, he will take over any ongoing cases and help Diane with admin and managerial duties.”  

The room was silent as they listened to Will speak, their eyes all sneaking over to the man on Diane’s left. 

“Obviously there will be a bit of an adjustment period, but Mr. McVeigh is an experienced trial lawyer and we are lucky he has agreed to stand in. Any questions?” Will continued, eyes darting around the room. The room was silent for a long moment and Will was just about to speak again when suddenly…

“I have one,” An obnoxious voice spoke up and Diane rolled her eyes

“Of course he does,” she hissed out under her breath, knowing without seeing him that she’d made her new partner grin beneath his moustache. A feat which had her blood heating by a degree or two.

“David?” Will acknowledged with an exasperated sigh.  

“Who the hell is Kurt McVeigh?” he demanded, tucking his hands under his armpits as he folded his arms across his chest smugly. His sour face scrunched up maliciously. 

“Jesus David!” Diane growled out, surprising most of the room as she slammed her palms to the desk in front of her. Shaking her head, she set her jaw; her face pinched in annoyance. 

David looked taken aback, his confidence wavering slightly. 

“It’s a fair question,” Someone from the back of the room commented, and Will craned his neck to see who it was.  

“He’s a lawyer from DC,” Julius chipped in, turning in his seat to address the question to it’s owner. 

“Yeah,” Anita from tax law added. “Then why haven’t I heard his name before?” She questioned with a hum of agreement from the room. 

“How do we even know he’s any good?” Another voice called from the right of the room.

“What kind of law does he practice?”

“Should we really bring in someone new? Will will be back in a few months,”

“Yeah, why do we need this new guy?” 

The buzz in the room grew and Diane looked from Kurt to Will, her eyes wide as an argument broke out.

Diane turned back to Will, their eyes speaking volumes as she slowly rose to stand beside him again. Yes, they’d anticipated push back from David Lee, maybe even Julius but this was fast turning into mob-mentality. Will nodded to her, his eyes also catching those of the man seated beside her. 

“Why not just promote an equity partner?” Another voice chimed in. 

“And how would that help the caseload?” A woman off to the side asked. “I don’t know about you, but I’m swapped already!”

“We promote an associate.” 

“Which associate?” 

“And split our year end bonus with another partner?” Mark from family law shouted out incredulously. 

“What and just demote them once Will is back?” 

The name partners were fast losing the room, the volume rising as more and more people followed David’s lead. Diane cut her eyes to a smug looking divorce lawyer, her stare enough to have him gulping. 

Diane’s hand fell to Will’s forearm, squeezing it gently and giving him a reassuring nod; she’d take this one. Her shoulders squared as she suddenly projected her voice around the room.

“Quiet!” she roared, forcing dozens of eyes to widen as they took in her unusual outburst. “I am going to say this once and only once,” she began scanning the crowd with thinned eyes, her jaw set fiercely. “This is  _not_  up for negotiation. Kurt McVeigh will be replacing Will as name partner effective  _immediately_. Now, if anyone has a problem with that, there’s the door.” Diane pointed in the direction of the exit, her angry eyes darting around the cramped room. She scowled meanly, flicking her gaze from one partner to the next; daring someone to speak up.  

Her eyes drifted to the real troublemaker of the bunch. David Lee sat with his arms folded petulantly, his eyes rolled toward the ceiling in a clear avoidance technique. Diane smirked slightly, taking a deep breath. 

“Good.” she continued cheerily. “Now, as Will said, Mr. McVeigh will be taking over all of his cases. That means some of you will be working with him almost immediately. Naturally, he has been briefed on all the relevant details, however, he will still need your patience and understanding to start off.” she explained to the room, speaking in an authoritative tone, her eyes danced around the partners silently noting the few who rolled their eyes or whispered amongst themselves. “I expect everyone will be gracious and welcoming and if I hear otherwise you’ll have me to deal with. We are not children and you all will conduct yourself in a manner that is befitting of this firm.”

Kurt smirked beneath his moustache, quietly thrilled she’d stood up for him. There was something about this woman than made him desperate for her attention. He wanted her to talk to him, about him, he wanted her to think about him constantly; to be consumed by him - in just the same way he was with her. 

Their chemistry was nothing short of explosive, small smirks and casual touches enough to get both their hearts racing. He’d never met a woman quite like Diane, so self-confident and poised, so eloquent and intelligent, it was no wonder he was attracted to her. She was the epitome of class and everything he thought he wanted nothing to do with. Until now. 

He watched silently from the sidelines as she conducted the rest of the meeting, calming the waters and reassuring everyone that things would be okay. Before he knew it, the meeting was over and she was pushing her chair back and standing beside him. 

Kurt blinked back into reality, glancing around the almost empty room. He spotted Will by an exit, the younger man making eye contact and miming a drink. Kurt nodded in agreement, and Will silently indicated to meet in his office. 

“Are you okay?” Diane asked her soft tone enough to draw his attention back to her.  

“Sure,” he fumbled out an answer. Diane smiled kindly, and Kurt’s eyes were drawn to her painted red lips. 

“You did well,” she offered sweetly, her hand falling to his forearm and giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. 

Kurt’s eyes darkened at the touch, suddenly drawn to her and taking a step closer. Diane’s eyes bounced up to his, widening in fear as he stepped even closer and pressed a soft kiss against her cheek. 

His lips were fire on her flushed face, his breath ghosting across sensitive skin and sending a chill up her spine. The simple action enough to leave her breathless. 

“Thanks for defending my honour,” he offered as he pulled back, smirking at her slyly before turning and walking away. 

 

-0-0-0-

 

Will closed the door to his office with a small grin. 

"So," he began addressing his friend with a knowing look. "Scotch?"  

Kurt chuckled lowly, falling back into Will's couch with a deep exhale. "Yep." he agreed watching as Will grabbed two glasses in a hand and brought both them and the scotch over to the small coffee table.  

Will poured a generous amount of alcohol into each tumbler, offering one to the other man. Kurt nodded his thanks as his large fingers enveloped the glass and he lifted it to his lips; taking a healthy gulp. 

"They'll calm down," Will said with a shrug. "David Lee’s a dick, but he knows not to screw with Diane." His smile was wide and Kurt let out a low rumble of a laugh.  

"Yeah, she always like that?" he asked curiously, his interest far more than his casual tone let on.  

"Mostly," Will offered with a slight frown, turning to look in the direction of Diane's office. The woman was resting against her desk, a folder in her hands as she interacted with a few associates, clearly frustrated by whatever the younger lawyers were saying. "Honestly," he continued with a grin in Kurt's direction. "I haven't seen her that vicious in a while, I think she was showing off for you."  

Kurt smirked beneath his moustache, secretly thrilled by the idea.  

"She cares about you," The older man noted meeting Will's eyes. A small, wistful smile slipped onto Will's lips.  

"Today," he joked. "Don't let the long legs and pretty words fool you, she's a tiger and if you piss her off? Well, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Will made a face, eyes wide and jaw set, his teeth flashing in a clearly frightened expression. Kurt shook his head in amusement, taking another sip of his drink, somehow, he had no trouble believing that woman could eat any man alive.  And the thought of her furiously, ruthlessly angry was more of a turn on than he cared to admit. Her blue eyes fiery, shoulders tense, chest heaving, her lips parted just enough to entice, her tongue slipping dangerously across her bottom lip...

Will coughed slightly, throwing a quizzical look in his friend’s direction, unsure of the strangely distracted expression plastered across Kurt's face.  

"You okay?" he checked, and Kurt shook his head, scratching at his chin. 

"Yeah, just hoping your partner doesn't turn on me," he forced out a laugh, trying to coverup the fact that for a moment, his mind had drifted to the thought of Diane Lockhart furiously screaming at him and exactly what he'd do to shut her up. 

"You and me both," Will added with a chuckle, bending toward the table to refill his glass. "You want another?" 

Kurt shook his head, placing his empty tumbler down and leaning forward, his elbows on his knees; his face suddenly serious.  

"Will, are you sure about this?" he asked on a low voice, his question making the other man frown. "It seems like there's gonna be a lot of resistance and not just from your divorce attorney. There's gonna be push back to me suddenly taking over as their boss and as much as I fear Diane's wrath," he paused with a small shake of his head and a sly grin. "I doubt even she'll be able to stop it."  

Will hummed quietly, pressing his lips together pensively.  

"They got to you," he smirked.  

"No," Kurt laughed with a roll of his eyes. "I just wonder if you shouldn't reconsider promoting from within?"  

Will sighed, leaning back into his chair.  

"Kurt, this is what's best for my firm, you’re what’s best for the firm; someone without an agenda. Someone who’ll watch out for Diane." Kurt nodded satisfied with the answer, knowing that he’d do everything in his power to live up to his friend’s words, especially the latter part of his sentence. He planted his hands on his knees and pushed himself up from the couch.

"All right then," he said with a pleased look. "Guess I better get to work?" Will nodded, his smile sad and Kurt could see the strain that this suspension was taking on the younger lawyer. 

"Call me if you need anything," Will added sombrely as Kurt moved to exit the room.  

“Will do.” The older man popped over his shoulder, pushing down on the handle of the of the exit. Just as he swung open the door, a tall, distracted blonde crashed into him; the folder in her hands crunching between them. 

"Woah," Kurt said, his hands moving to her biceps to steady her. Diane gasped, her eyes wide as she looked up at him, her heart suddenly pounding and her skin tingling where he touched her. "We have to stop meeting like this," he  continued with a charming smile. 

Diane feigned a laugh, clearly a bit breathless and incredibly uncomfortable. Still horribly shaken by his earlier display of affection, her cheek still prickling from the touch of his lips. Kurt used his hands to move her to his left. 

"Yes," Diane answered him too late and unnecessarily. She gulped forcing a bright grin. "Well, I'm going to speak with Will." she added dumbly, cringing internally at how ridiculous she sounded. 

"Good." he smirked, his eyes drawn to her neck as her fingers tucked a stray curl behind her ear in a nervous manner. Diane licked her lips as she watched his green eyes darken to a dull emerald. “I’ll be in my office." he said after a long moment of staring and Diane nodded, forcing another smile. Kurt turned flashing her one last grin before stalking off down the hall; her eyes trailing after him until he disappeared around a corner. 

"Oy!" Will called from within his office breaking her out of her reverie and forcing her to turn her gaze to him. "You going to stand there all day?" he smirked cockily, his eyes wide as he looked at her expectantly.  

Diane rolled her eyes. Lord, but she was going to miss this man, even when he annoyed the hell out of her. 

"Keep your panties on, I'm getting there." 


	4. Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so those of you who follow me on twitter will know how stressed I've been about this chapter. It's been written and then rewritten, then discarded and rewritten, the abandoned and then written again, then beta'd and rewritten, beta'd again, rewritten again and hated continuously. 
> 
> To the few who are still following this story, I say this...WHY? Also, thank you for being more than patient. I haven'y been able to write for ages now and so I appreciate you sticking around.
> 
> Thank you to S, my amazing beta. I'd be lost without you. 
> 
> Finally, I'll say this, I'm not happy with this chapter, I'm hardly ever happy with my writing and I find this chapter to be rather OOC for Kurt, but I hope you all enjoy nevertheless. 
> 
> Thank you, <3

“Mr. Daniels, Robert, Robert, please Robert, please hear me out?” Diane bent forward resting her elbows on her knees as she held the cell phone to her ear. Her eyes were closed as she ran a shaking hand through her hair. “No, that’s not what happened, no no, I can assure you, our firm is more than capable...” 

Diane licked her lips slowly, her chest rising and falling rhythmically as she nodded into the receiver. 

“Of course. I understand.” she said defeatedly. “No, no, nothing personal. Thank you.” 

Flipping her cell over in her palm, she pressed the button to disconnect. For a long moment she sat in silence trying and failing to steady her breathing. Suddenly the bubble of anger she’d been trying to suppressed boiled up and she lifted her arm; lobbing the mobile across the room and swearing loudly. 

“Damnit!” she yelled, wincing slightly as the phone shattered against the opposite wall. Her head fell into her hands, her shoulders hunched over as she curled her upper body into her lap. Breathing deeply, she attempted to choke back a sob.

“Miss Lockhart?” The tentative voice had her head bouncing up, her eyes wide a she looked to her office door. Kurt frowned deeply as he stepped into the room, his eyes dark and empathetic. 

“Kurt,” she replied a little breathless, her blue eyes wide as she met his green. She gulped deeply.

“Are you okay?” He asked, his gaze darting from her frail-looking frame to the cell phone lying in several pieces on the floor. 

Diane followed his line of sight, feeling her cheeks colour. 

“It’s uh, I mean, I just-“ Diane looked from him to the mobile fearfully her mind racing but Kurt held up a hand, putting a halt to her fumbling. 

“You don’t have to explain,” he said and Diane felt her shoulders drop in relief. “I hate technology too,” he added in a laugh, his green eyes locked on her blue as he tried to coax a smile from her woeful lips. 

Diane chuckled despite herself, rolling her eyes in playful amusement. She appreciated the effort, appreciated how he tried to defuse the tension. Kurt grinned, casually propping himself up against her doorway as he folded his arms. 

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked softly. Diane’s eyes once again bounced back to his, her heart melting as she took in his caring expression. He was genuinely asking, no hidden agenda, he simply wanted to help in anyway he could. She couldn’t help the feeling of warmth that suddenly enveloped her. With a defeated smile she shook her head and Kurt nodded.

“You wanna get a drink?” he asked instead, his hands shoved deeply into his jean pockets as he rocked on his feet anxiously. Diane’s eyes widened even further. 

“With you?” she gaped, the words falling from her lips before she could stop them.

Kurt smirked, his mouth curling into puzzled grin.

“Yes,” he drawled out slowly, his tone almost mocking and his eyes thinned in amusement. 

“Okay,” Diane replied methodically, a small smile crawling its way onto her lips. “Then I guess it depends...”

“On?”

“Are planning to get me drunk and take advantage of me?” she asked flirtatiously, though her mind was already made up.

She was going with him, there was no doubt about it. Somehow, his southern charm was just what she wanted in this moment, his comforting smirk felt like the only thing that could redeem this God-awful day.

“Maybe” he offered up with a chuckle and a dashing shrug. “I guess that’s a risk you’ll have to take.”

Diane let out a bubble of amusement, her smile wide and genuine as she met his eyes. 

“Okay.” she finally said, gulping down any hesitation with a brave look. “Let’s do it.”

Kurt quirked an eyebrow at her words. “I mean-“ she blushed stumbling before rolling her eyes at his suggestive smirk. “You know what I mean!” Kurt nodded with a genuine smile. 

“Shall we?” he asked, indicating to the door. Diane was just about to open her mouth and agree when the phone on the floor buzzed back to life in a jumbled and broken melody, drawing their attention to its remains. 

“You wanna get that?” he questioned with a teasing smile and Diane shook her head.

“Fuck it. Let it go to voicemail.” Diane replied, throwing her hands into their air carelessly as she turned her attention from the buzzing phone to him. Kurt smirked at her reaction, both surprised and impressed. 

His awe must have shown in his expression because Diane cocked an eyebrow at him daringly.

“Yes, I curse, I’m not the angel you seem to think I am, Mr. McVeigh.” she shot back, rising from her couch and moving toward the shattered cell phone pieces, her smile sexy and coy as she winked at him over her shoulder. 

Diane turned her back and bent to pick up the broken mobile, keenly aware of his eyes on her arse. Something about him made her flirty, brave. He made her do and say things that demure Diane Lockhart never would. He made her feel sexy and desired and without even realizing it. He was able to flip the conversation from serious to naughty in one syllable and she was more than happy to oblige. 

“I don’t think of you as an angel.” He responded gruffly, his voice catching in his throat.  

“But you do think of me?” she pressed, treading in dangerously flirtatious waters.

“Don’t play coy Diane, you know I do.” Diane blushed at his candor. It never ceased to amaze her how straightforward he was. He said what he meant and meant what he said. 

She’d been pleasantly surprised the first time she’d seen him with the associates. His blunt honesty had thrown them all for a loop. In a profession that was sneaky and malicious by nature, his openness and straightforwardness was unnerving. 

He said whatever popped into his head and Diane was beginning to think it was what made him such a good lawyer. People in their profession were thrown by honesty - always suspicious of the truth and that seemed to be his genetic make-up. 

“Anyway,” she coughed awkwardly, her cheeks colouring at the knowledge that she thought about him too, a lot. “I swear.” 

Kurt shook his head with a chuckle, shoving his hands into his jeans again as he ducked his head indicating toward the door. 

“I’m glad to hear it,” he mumbled as Diane grabbed her purse and they headed out the door.

-0-0-0-

“So,” Diane said as she slid onto a bar stool, her eyes sparkling as they met Kurt’s. “What’s your poison?” Her head was tilted toward the colourful wall of alcohol, her lips smirking pointedly.

“What’s yours?” he fired back lowly, his eyes dark and his smile wicked. Diane giggled slightly, glad for the dim lighting of the bar as she felt her cheeks flush for the hundredth time that night. Somehow everything the man said, sounded sinful and delicious to her ears. Their car ride over had been laced with innuendo; suggestive flirting that had her feeling pleasantly buzzed without even a drop of alcohol. She was beginning to think the evening was going to end with him in her bed.

 “Guess,” she challenged, her tone low and sexy as she dipped her head toward to his. The bar was loud and busy, forcing Kurt to move close enough to her mouth to feel her hot breath. He tilted his head slightly, eyes dropping to her lips before dancing back up to her blue orbs.

“What are we having folks?” An overly friendly twenty-something asked from behind the bar.

Kurt continued to stare at Diane for a few moments, his eyebrows bouncing up in a silent question. Diane inclined her head, her lips parting just slightly, her tongue dancing across the soft flesh in a flash.

“I’ll have a bourbon, neat, and she’ll have a long, sloe screw up against a wall.” Kurt told the bartender loudly, not daring to break eye contact with his blonde companion. Diane quirked an eyebrow at that, her stomach flipping at the surprising sauciness laced into his voice.

“Remind me what’s in that again?” she queried with a smirk, her eyes thinned in playful confusion.

“A dark room and a lot less clothing.” He breathed out lowly, a smirk of his own tugging at his lips. Diane’s mouth fell open in an astonished laugh, her eyes comically wide at his audacity.

“I meant the drink,” she replied softly.

“Ahh,” Kurt nodded, smiling as he sat back on his stool matching her movements. “Of course.” His green eyes twinkled as they met her blue, the dim lighting of the bar doing nothing to hide the naughty shine in his intense gaze.

-0-0-0-

The conversation flowed between the pair for a few hours, Diane was surprised at how at ease they seemed to be with one another. She enjoyed her cocktail as he told her about his childhood and he smiled along to her stories of Will. The flirting continued intermittently throughout the evening, increasing with their alcohol intake and bordering indecent by the time they were three drinks in. 

“This is good,” she said after finishing yet another story about their friend, taking a long sip of her cocktail. 

“Could have been better,” he flirted back in a low husky voice. She felt her cheeks heat up at the implication. A long, slow screw up against the wall, with him, wouldn’t that be something...

“Regardless of  _that_ , thank you for this,” she smiled shyly, her eyes sparkling like sapphires in the dimly lit bar. Kurt frowned slightly, his smirk curved up in puzzlement. 

“This?” he queried. 

“Taking me out.” Diane explained with a flirty smile. “I needed it.” Kurt nodded slowly, watching closely as she took another sip of her drink, her red lips distracting in the most sinful way. 

Diane caught his eye in the corner of her own, her cheeks instantly colouring. 

“You normally go out with Will? Kurt asked after a long moment, his words forcing her to meet his eyes. 

Diane flashed him a sad grin, shrugging slightly. 

“It’s hard to go to him about things like this, especially... “ she trailed off sadly, her blue eyes staring blankly at the wall of alcohol in front of her. 

“Especially when he’s the reason for it,” he finished for her and Diane’s gaze raced back to him, her eyes wide with surprise. It was like he could read her mind, like he could see into her soul. It was unnerving and yet at the same time...  _alluring._

The pair were silent for a long minute, the busy buzz of their surroundings enveloping them. Kurt sipped at his drink casually, clearly at ease with the lull in conversation. Through all his flirting and smirking, Diane had found he said the most when he said nothing at all. His eyes and body language replaced his words and were almost more captivating.

“Yeah.” she finally said, her expression vulnerable as he looked to her.

Kurt watched her silently, a slight smirk tugging on his lips as he dragged two fingers round the rim of his glass. Diane gulped under his scrutiny, tucking a curl behind her ear as her eyes darted to the movement of his hand. The circular motion mesmerizing and a perfect way to avoid how his silence had her heart racing. She didn’t like feeling as if he could read her every secret with just one glance - felt uncomfortable in how easy it seemed to come to him and so she watched his fingers; round and round, round and round. Her throat suddenly felt dry, her mind conjuring up very delicious ways in which he could better use those errant digits. 

“He worries you know.” Kurt said after a long moment, causing Diane’s eyes to bounce back up to his.

“I’m sorry?”

“Will, he worries.” he explained. 

Diane’s eyes widened, her surprise evident even in the poorly lit pub.

“You talk to him about things like that?” she questioned in something close to astonishment, her voice hushed. She knew they were close - Will wouldn’t have suggested Kurt replace him if they weren’t, but somehow, she couldn’t imagine them sitting down and sharing their feelings. 

Will was a man’s man, the kind of guy who talked baseball, drank beer and wouldn’t be caught dead in a pink shirt. He wasn’t really the emotional type, he loved her, and she knew it, but she also knew he wouldn’t say it unless it was absolutely necessary. And Kurt, well, the man was stoic at best, one would never call him loquacious and the idea that these two men got together to talk about... _things_ , it eluded her. 

Kurt shrugged nonchalantly. 

“Sometimes.” he replied gruffly, stoically and Diane shook her head, smiling to herself before reaching for her drink again.

There was another silence between them, this one less uncomfortable than the previous lulls in their conversation and Diane wondered if this was how comfortable silences between people were born; a mass of awkwardness that slowly disappeared with each break in their speech. After a long while she turned to look him dead in the eyes, the alcohol that still burned down her throat making her brave.

“He... he doesn’t share those things with me.” she offered shyly, playing with the straw in her beverage, twirling the colourful liquid into a whirlpool as she met his gaze. 

Kurt smiled kindly but didn’t bother replying, letting her statement hang between them. 

“I suppose it’s my own fault though.” Diane continued thoughtfully. She chuckled humourlessly and seemed startled by her own outburst. Kurt cocked his head to the side and Diane waved her hand dismissively. 

“He had a relationship with an associate and I didn’t approve.” she offered as casually as possible. “Pretty sure we stopped sharing things after that.”

“Alicia.” Kurt supplied knowingly, simply. Diane’s eyes grew again, her shock written onto her delicate features. 

“Uh, yeah.” she replied dumbfounded. “Wow, you guys really do talk.” she muttered slightly annoyed that they seemed to share a bond she and Will didn’t. She’d found out about Alicia on her own, an overheard ringtone and Will’s suspicious behaviour had led to her discovery - he certainly hadn’t told her. 

She turned back to her drink pensively. Her mind was reeling over this new information as she slurped up the last of her cocktail; nodding to the bartender for another. 

“I knew her from Georgetown.” Kurt said plainly, and Diane saw it for what it was - an olive branch, a way to steer the conversation from the place her mind was taking it, a way to direct from whose friendship with Will Gardner was superior. 

“Huh!” she exclaimed, exaggerating her surprise as a means to seem genuine. “Of course. I don’t know why I never put that together. Of course, you’d have known her too!” Kurt smiled sipping on his drink.

“What was he like back then?” She questioned suddenly, cocking her head towards him curiously.

Kurt smirked, lifting his bourbon to his lips, his eyes meeting hers over the rim of the glass. Diane grinned back at him, the sparkle in his green orbs almost an answer in itself. 

“Pretty much the same as he is now, bit younger, bit cockier.” Kurt answer easily and Diane laughed, her whole face lighting up to accompany her trademark chuckle. “Very focused on his studies...” he continued.

Diane thinned her eyes suspiciously. 

“Now, _that_  I find hard to believe.”

“It’s true.” He offered with a shrug and a grin. “Still a troublemaker though- called into the Dean’s office at least twice that I knew of...”

“Ahh, that’s my Will.” she giggled. “And I bet he had every co-head weak at the knees with that naughty grin of his. All the girls lose their balance when he smiles.” she mused with a grin. Throughout their friendship Diane had seen a multitude of women fall under the spell of Will’s cocky smirk and kind eyes.

Kurt tilted his head in amusement, surprised by her remarks. There was a long moment where he simply stared at her and Diane fidgeted, uncomfortable under his sudden scrutiny.

“Does he have you weak at the knees?” he questioned after a beat, the serious words tumbling out of his mouth before he could help himself. Later he’d blame the alcohol for his forwardness, blame intoxication for the way he so carelessly showed his hand; for this obvious outburst of jealousy.

Diane’s eyes widened in shock, her heart racing at the question and the obvious reasoning behind it. Taking another sip of her drink, she pressed forward boldly, her body inching a little closer to his as she leaned on the bar

“Does Will Gardner’s smile make my knees weak?” she repeated in a brave purr, her smirk growing as she saw his eyes dip to her mouth. 

“Yes,” he replied dumbly, his green eyes lost in the seductive movement of her tongue wetting her lips. 

Diane chuckled low in her throat, her gaze dipping slightly until it met his. She waited patiently, keeping the eye contact and prolonging the tension of the moment before finally answering him.

“No.” she supplied pointedly, watching in satisfaction as Kurt swallowed hard. 

His mind raced at the simple reply, his first thought was to ask what did? What got the great Diane Lockhart’s heart racing, who’s smile made her knees buckle? He bit the inside of his cheek, holding his tongue as she smiled at him knowingly. 

“Why not?” he finally pushed out in a gruff voice, his surprise at his on forwardness showing in his shocked expression.

Diane sat back, stunned by the odd question. Turning away after a minute, she thanked the bartender as he slid a new glass of liquid in front of her, winking as he walked away again. 

“I don’t play with children.” she offered then in a nonchalant whisper, pressing her lips into a rose to sip her cocktail; her eyes not daring to meet his. 

Kurt felt himself harden slightly at her tone, shifting on the bar stool as he lifted his hand to order another bourbon. He was going to need more alcohol. Either to control his sudden desire to pull her into a dark corner of the bar, or not. Either way he needed another drink. 

“He wasn’t actually.” he stuttered out after a long, pained silence, the tense direction their conversation had taken them forcing his words.

“Hmm?” she queried, her eyebrow bouncing up questioningly.

“A ladies’ man? He didn’t really have much of an interest in anyone but her.” Diane cocked her head thoughtfully. 

“They were together?” she asked softly, her heart racing as she mentally jumped back a few years, to when Will had all but sworn they were just hiring Alicia to help out a friend. 

“Uh, no. I mean, I think they both wanted to but...” Kurt trailed off and Diane felt the tension leave her body. For one awful second, she’d thought Will had lied to her. Again. 

“After she met her husband Will started dating quite a bit, seemed to me he only did it because he couldn’t have her.” 

Diane pursed her lips, feeling her heart clench at the idea. She’d always assumed Will’s sleeping around had been a by-product of being too attractive for his own good, but the thought that it was born from unrequited love, made her question how hard she’d been on him about it. 

“They’re sleeping together.” Diane supplied dryly after a moment, shrugging her shoulders and gulping down a heavy sip of her drink to dispel the horrid feeling rising in her chest. She spoke the words blandly but there was an undertone of bitterness, annoyance. She returned her attention to her drink, her face scrunching as she tasted it again. “That’s what started the whole investigation.” She continued turning her own guilt into anger. “Peter Florrick was on the warpath because Will was fucking his wife.”

“I know.” Kurt replied casually, and Diane’s eyebrows bounced up.  Kurt smirked at her reaction. 

“You didn’t think he’d told me.” he stated and Diane’s lips pinched into a sneer. 

“He didn’t tell me.” she responded almost petulantly. 

“You blame him?” Kurt asked, though it was more of a statement than a question. Diane shrugged, taking another sip of her drink, the alcohol soothing her slightly. She was suddenly feeling at a loss, eight years of friendship and it seemed she didn’t know Will at all.

“I know it’s childish.” she finally confessed with a tint to her cheeks, her eyes dancing around the room to avoid his. Kurt smiled kindly at her. 

“If he wasn’t sleeping with her, the State’s Attorney wouldn’t have come after him, they’d never have found out about the money...” Kurt supplied easily, once again reading her mind. Diane grimaced. 

“Yeah,” she said quietly, looking down at her hands, her fingers fiddling with the base of her glass.

Kurt nodded. Turning back to his drink as she did the same. 

“You know,” he began. “You get to be angry, Diane.”  The blonde turned to look at him. 

“That’s not how this works.” she replied bitterly.  

“But it’s how you feel.”

“Hmm.” she replied nonchalantly, turning back to her drink. She was uncomfortable with how spot-on his assumptions were.

“The man on the phone tonight,” Kurt began, and Diane stiffened on her stool, her suddenly shoulders tensing. “He fired us because of Will, right?” 

Diane looked back at him blankly, not saying a word; her eyes telling him everything he needed to know.

“His mistake hurt your firm, it hurt you.” he continued rationally, and Diane swallowed hard;`her throat suddenly dry. “You get to be angry, Diane.” he repeated.

Diane bit the inside of her cheek. 

“Maybe,” she conceded, looking back to the wall of alcohol in front of her. “but he’s not the only one who has made mistakes. What makes what he did any worse than my indiscretions?”

“Did they put the firm in jeopardy?” he countered like the lawyer he was.

“Excuse me?”

“Your supposed indiscretions? Did they affect the firm?” he pressed on with an intense look.

“Well no, but-“ she tried, her expression soft. 

“Then it’s not the same. Will is like a brother to me Diane, there’s very little I wouldn’t do for him, but he was wrong. What he did was wrong, illegal and punishable. You get to be angry about it. You can love him and hate his actions at the same time, it’s not binary.

Diane blinked at the man before her, her mouth slightly agape in awe. 

“Wow.” she mused. “For a man of few words you sure do give a good speech.” Kurt ducked his head in a laugh, his grin tugging on the corners of his lips ruggedly.

“Lawyer, remember?” he teased and Diane smiled. Her hand danced across the bar and settled over his, giving it a squeeze. 

“Thank you,” she said quietly, her fingers tingling against his warm skin.

“You’re welcome.” he replied and Diane’s hand moved back to her lap quickly. She was scared if she kept touching him she’d never stop. 

“It’s getting late,” she remarked, avoiding his eyes as she reached for her purse. Her heart was racing, beating furiously against her chest; she couldn’t risk staying here any longer, not when the mere touch of his skin made her feel dizzy. It was time to leave, time to go home, get into bed and put an end to this game of cat and mouse. She couldn’t sleep with him, it was unethical. 

“Of course,” he nodded, pulling out a few bills from his wallet and handing them to the bartender before Diane could argue. “Keep the change,” The blonde looked up from scrummaging through her handbag only to see the bartender smile and walk off. Her eyes immediately darted to her left, thinning darkly at Kurt. Her mouth fell open to protest but Kurt held up his hand.

“Don’t,” he said simply and Diane’s shoulder’s deflated. Her eyes slid closed exasperatedly and she shook her head.

“Thank you,” she forced out, the words rough on her lips as she accepted his chivalry. Kurt grinned back at her, his green eyes twinkling in amusement. For whatever reason he loved teasing her.

“Shall I call you a cab?” he asked and Diane shook her hand dismissively.

“No, I’m just a few blocks from here. I’ll walk.” As soon as the words left her mouth she realised her mistake. With a heavy sigh, she looked to him. “You’re not going to let me walk home alone are you?” she confirmed and Kurt shook his head smiling.

“Nope,”

Diane rolled her eyes as she slipped off her stool.

“Well come on then, John Wayne.” She threw over her shoulder, certain he was following as they left the bar.

-0-0-0-

The walk to her house was relatively quiet, a few odd comments but mostly just a silence that now felt beyond comfortable.

Diane bit the inside of her cheek as they slowed, turning the corner onto the street before hers. The wind had a slight nip to it and she was secretly hoping he’d offer her his jacket. Her body was already imagining the delicious smell that would accompany the leather jacket’s warmth.

“Is it a sex thing?” Diane asked to divert her mind from the possibility of wrapping herself in his clothing. She cocked her head to the side to look at her companion, her eyebrow arched. The soft breeze swirled around them as they walked down the street and her body was pleasantly humming; the alcohol and the company filling her with a dizzying buzz.

“Huh?”

“The Sarah Palin thing, is it a sex thing? Do you want to sleep with her? Because I could understand that, I mean, I guess she’s attractive, you know in a clinically insane sort of way.” She clarified, musing pensively.

Kurt snorted shaking his head with a rugged grin as they continued along the pathway. Their hands hung between their bodies; their fingers occasionally brushing against each other, before skirting back to their sides like chastised children.

“You know, you have more in common with her than you think...” Kurt offered up with an amused smirk. Diane rolled her eyes, her smile incredulous.

“What? We can both see Russia from our balconies?”  She sassed back with a smug pout.

“You both stand up for what you believe in, both fight for your values.”

Diane pressed her lips together tightly, the alcohol registering a compliment amongst his words that her sober self wouldn’t have even acknowledged.

“She’s still crazy.” She mumbled petulantly, his knowing smile unsettling her. The pair fell into another silence, the sound of their shoes on the pavement loud as they walked into the quiet night. 

“What about you? Do you hold a torch for Mrs Clinton?” he questioned after another beat, his grin shining through his green eyes, twinkling in the street lamps.

“Are you asking if I’m attracted to her?” she laughed out, stopping. With a curious arch of her brow she turned to face him.

“Are you?” he countered challengingly, and Diane threw her head back in her low trademark chuckle.

“You’re picturing that, aren’t you?” she smirked flirtatiously, her fruity cocktails from before making her braver than normal. Usually, she wouldn’t insinuate such a thing, she was brought up far too well for that, but something about this man made her careless and forward.

“Trying furiously not to.” he muttered spinning to continue walking. Diane laughed, hurrying to keep up with him. They turned another corner and she felt her heart drop, her apartment was a mere few doors away and she wasn’t quite ready to have the evening end. Despite her hurry to leave the bar and him, she didn’t want this night to be over. Greedily she wanted more time to get to know Kurt, time that wasn’t limited to solely professional conversations. Her mind was all over the place both wanting him and not. 

“Well, this is me,” she said softly, lifting her hand to indicate to her home. Kurt nodded, slowing to a stop as he let her climb the stairs ahead of him.

Diane wasn’t sure he would follow her up the three steps, his obligation to walk her home fulfilled, but suddenly he was right beside her, close enough that she could smell his cologne.

Diane gasped as he stepped toward her, suddenly dwarfed by his frame even in her high heels. Her back collided with the antique oak of her front door, her chest heaving as he moved impossibly closer. His green eyes were dark with something close to lust and his breath hot against her wanting lips.

Suddenly his large hands were circling her waist, pressing tightly against her lower abdomen; holding her firmly to the door as his thumbs stroked over her hips.

In a practiced move his hand left her waist and moved to curl around her chin, his eyes dark and intense in the lamplight. With an almost smirk, his thumb ghosted across her lips, parting them as he reached the corner of her mouth. Diane sucked in a breath, gulping. 

Her heart was beating out of her chest, her blue eyes wide and dark as she watched every micro-expression that danced across his face. She knew what would happen next, that he’d duck his head and she’d meet him halfway, but it still didn’t make it any less suspenseful. 

“You’re beautiful, Diane.” he murmured in the most serious tone, his husky voice a low growl that had her blood boiling.

Diane shivered, they were going to kiss, finally. They both knew it was coming and yet, at the first touch of their lips, Diane still gasped in surprise. 

Her eyes drifted closed upon impact, his lips soft yet demanding on hers. The kiss was slow and sensual, and quite possibly the hottest, most erotic thing she’d ever experienced. 

His mouth was warm, his lips almost gentle in the way they brushed against hers. He didn’t push forward, rather waited until she was blind with lust and had no option but to force her own tongue to take the lead and swipe it across his bottom lip. 

Kurt smiled as they deepened the embrace, his hand on her cheek slipping back into her hair and tilting her head upward as the other on her waist kept her in place against the door. 

Diane moaned as their tongues tangled together, exploring, touching, tasting. Her hands were threaded through his hair, grasping tightly as she pulled him impossibly closer. 

Kurt groaned into her mouth, the taste of her fruity cocktail still lingering as he desperately explored the cavern.

Diane whimpered into the kiss, her lungs screaming out for air but her lips unable to leave his. This felt good, too good. 

She wasn’t ashamed to admit she’d fantasized about what kissing him might be like. She’d daydreamed about him grabbing her, dipping her and then kissing her like some fictional Prince Charming. 

She wasn’t embarrassed to admit as she lay in bed at night, lonely in the hours of darkness, that she’d imagined how he might taste, how his body might feel pressed against hers, how his naked skin would burn hers. 

Yes she had fantasized, and the fantasy had been wonderful but this kiss, this  _reality_  was indescribable. 

Diane’s fingers tugged on his hair desperately trying to drag him closer. His large body rocked into hers, their hips meeting intimately as they kissed each other senseless.

Finally, when the need for air overcame them, Kurt pulled back, his lips instantly dropping to her throat, dancing down the smooth pale skin hungrily as she bucked into him desperately. 

“God,” she whimpered, tilting her head back and biting her bottom lip as he sank his teeth into the sensitive skin of her exposed collarbone. 

Her hands were restless, dancing from his hair to his neck, grasping at his broad shoulders, doing anything and everything to keep him close.

Kurt’s hand on her waist moved to her lower abdomen, splaying out across the expensive fabric of her dress and holding her still for a moment before dexterously moving up to cup her breast, a skilled thumb swiping across a covered nipple.

Diane gasped, her hips bumping out into his uncontrollably, her hands moving to grip either side of his face and force his lips back to hers. God this felt good, better than her day-dreams. His body was heavy against hers, his heat delicious and welcome against the curves of her figure.

There was no preamble to the embrace this time, he kissed her deeply and intensely, his tongue swiping the roof of her mouth in a sexy move that had her squirming. Damn he was a good kisser.

His hand on her breast smoothed down her body, trailing over her until it came to a stop on her arse; squeezing it as he pulled her hips forward into his.

Diane felt a shiver run through her as she felt him against her, there was something deeply satisfying about knowing she could make him react in this way; he’d been drinking and Lord knew neither of them was twenty anymore, so to accomplish such a thing had her tingling in all the right ways.

Why the hell hadn’t they done this before? She thought frivolously, her internal monologue amused at the idea. They both wanted it so why had they waited? What stoped them? Her mind suddenly drifted away from the sexy way in which Kurt was kissing her, answering her own questions. Because you’re partners. Partners. Oh, God, what the hell was she doing? They were partners, colleagues. 

This was a terrible idea, she’d known that from the start, had promised herself she wouldn’t give into his flirting, wouldn’t let her desires get the better of her. This was insanity.

Her hands quickly moved to his chest shoving him off her almost violently. Kurt stared at her in confusion, his eyes thinned and hands still grasping her body. Diane met his gaze with wide, fearful eyes.

The pair stared at each other for long silent moment, both furiously trying to catch their breath.

“I can’t” Diane finally whispered after another painfully awkward minute. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.” 

Kurt frowned deeply, his eyes dark with confusion and lust. He shook his head with an amused smirk before dipping down and moving to kiss her again.

“No,” Diane stopped him just before his lips met hers. Her eyes were closed as she spoke, knowing if she looked at him she wouldn’t be able to resist. “No,” she repeated. “You need to go.” She told him, her heart aching at her words.

There was another pained silence as she felt Kurt’s hands leave her hips. His warm body suddenly replaced with the crisp Chicago air as he stepped back.

She swallowed hard, finally forcing her eyes open, only to wish she hadn’t. She could see the hurt in his expression, the sting of rejection in his eyes, and it was almost enough to change her mind. Almost.

Her arms came up to hold her body, protecting herself from the cold as she looked at him.

“I’m sorry, Kurt.” she said meaningfully. “you’re my partner.”

“Diane we’re both adults,” he replied with an incredulous smirk. Diane pressed her lips tightly together, looking away from him and into the night. “I thought you wanted this?” Kurt continued.

Diane was quiet for a long while, working up the courage to meet his green eyes.

“I don’t,” she lied. Kurt’s hand shot out and his mouth fell open, a rebuttal on the tip of his tongue as she continued. “I thought I did, but I don’t.”

“Diane, I know you felt something just now, all night, hell since I started at the firm, there’s been-“ he trailed off and Diane squared her jaw.

“We should forget it ever happened.” Diane said plainly, her face expressionless as she desperately tried to hide her pain.

“What? Us kissing or you pretending it didn’t mean anything?” he snarked back with a dark look.

“It didn’t mean anything.” she fired back, and Kurt shook his head with a disbelieving scoff.

“Yeah, okay.” he said sarcastically, running his fingers through his hair in agitation. Diane watched him, her whole body screaming to take back her words; to take back her words and drag him into her apartment to finish what they started. But she couldn’t. they shouldn’t, they were partners, this couldn’t happen.

“Thank you for walking me home.” she said formally. “I think you should go now.”

Kurt looked into her eyes, his face hard with confusion and just a hint of anger.

“Sure.” he threw back at her in a sneer, letting out a heavy sigh as he turned away from her and walked down the stairs. “Have a good night Diane,” he called back meanly, his tone rough with disappointment.

 Diane shivered as she watched him walk away, even his strides annoyed as he rushed off into the night. She knew she’d hurt him, knew he was angry – and rightly so. He was right, she did feel something, she’d been feeling something since that were first day when he asked her to stand up in court, but she couldn’t. They couldn’t. They were partners, they had a firm to run, at least until Will returned.


	5. Lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not gonna apologize that it’s so late, I’ve done that enough in the last few months, but I will say this, if you are still following this story, thank you!
> 
> Thank you for you patience and support and I hope that it doesn’t disappoint. 
> 
> Thank you to S, who has beta’d about 8 versions of this, and to Doma who read the first half of this a while back and who gave me the courage to finally post it! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! <3

_“Diane,” Kurt groaned in his deep southern drawl, tugging a giggling Diane through the door of her bedroom; walking them toward her bed.  He dipped his head, pressing his lips to hers tightly and Diane’s eyes slid closed as she deepened the kiss, pushing her tongue into his mouth; melding it with his sexily._

_She let her hands trail up to sink into his hair; threading her dainty fingers through salt and pepper strands as she held him to her. The kiss was all tongues and teeth and built up passion, an amalgamation of the desire that had been building between them since they met. She groaned as his hands tilted her jaw, kissing her more fully and fiercely. Diane whimpered, she was almost certain if he were not holding her, her knees would have buckled._  

_Kurt’s fingers drifted from her hair and found her silky blouse, deftly slipping the buttons through their holes and pulling the garment off her; desperate to touch her soft skin. The pair broke their kiss; both panting. Kurt’s mouth jumped to her throat, lazily drawing patterns across her pale skin; hungry for the taste of her._

_Diane whimpered throwing her head back as his teeth sunk into the nape of her neck; marking her. Her hands tugged at his dark shirt, forgoing the buttons and forcing it up, tearing his mouth from her skin as she pulled it over his head. Kurt growled at the loss of contact, his eyes fiery as they met hers._

_“Please,” Diane murmured in a breathless groan as Kurt’s hands moved down her body to unzip her skirt. Shimming the material to the floor, his hands found her ass; slipping beneath the delicate material covering it and squeezing. Diane shivered bucking into him wantonly._

_“Diane,” he repeated gruffly, his mouth moving to tug at a peaked nipple through the thin material of her bra._

_“Ah!” Diane gasped, the friction of the lace and his teeth sending a jolt right through her body. Kurt smiled, dancing his lips back up to her ear and tracing it with his tongue._

_“I want you,” he whispered lowly, and Diane’s hips thrust into his on their own accord. Her fingers slid down his chest, her red nails pricking at his nipples and causing him to groan. Reaching for the button of his jeans she giggled into his mouth as she sought out his mouth again, her small hands pushing the denim over his hips and down his legs. Kurt moved his hands back to her waist, holding her to him. Diane moaned loudly as they kissed once more; his tongue dancing with hers in a hot, wet tango._

_“Kurt, we shouldn’t.” she mumbled unconvincingly against his jaw, her little nips never stopping and driving him crazy. Kurt growled at her suggestion._

_“Yes, we should.” he rasped back, opening his eyes to meet hers. “I want you.” he repeated adamantly and Diane’s breathing quickened. Biting her bottom lip, she let Kurt caress her skin again; his fingertips grazing the smooth flesh of her lower abdomen, his hands touching her in every place but where she needed him the most._

_God, did she need this, them, she’d needed this since the first time she’d laid eyes on him, since he came on as partner, since he kissed her against her front door and left her wet and wanting._

_Suddenly Kurt’s hands came to a halt on her hips, his fingers digging into the skin and surely leaving bruises. His strong digits spun her fiercely, bending her over the bed in front of them._

_Diane gasped as she was slammed into the cold sheets; the thousand count thread soft against her body as he roughly shoved her into the mattress. Her nipples prickled against the lace of her bra causing a low moan to escape her lips._

_“What are you doing?” she managed, her hands resting flat against the bed on either side of her head. Her cheek lay against the surface, her eyes desperately trying to meet his over her shoulder. Kurt bent his body over hers, his chest pressing into her back warmly as his mouth kissed along her shoulder blades. Diane whimpered as his lips moved to her throat, his hand pushing her hair to the side so he could whisper into her ear._

_“I want you like this.” he said roughly and Diane sucked in a breath; her hips thrusting into the curve of the bed; seeking a friction that wasn’t there. Kurt’s hands came to rest on her shoulders, dragging slowly down her back until they met the lace of her panties. With a quick tug he shoved the dainty material down, not bothering to push them further than her knees. Diane moaned._

_“Kurt!” she begged her face lying flat against the duvet, her fingers scrunching into the material viciously. Kurt’s fingers drifted down her ass; dipping lower so he could touch her burning heat._

_“So hot!” he commented in awe as he found her more than ready; his breath warm in her ear as Diane whimpered. Kurt’s fingers twirled across her clit before diving deeply into her; her body jumping with the sudden intrusion. His free hand held her shoulders down, keeping her in place against the bed; her nipples aching as they pressed into the surface. She could barely catch her breath amongst the sheets, gasping for air in the expensive material. It felt like drowning, like drowning in pure pleasure and God, she hoped it never stopped._

_“Diane,” he murmured and she could practically hear the grin in his voice. His fingers moved to circle her clit once more and she shrieked at the contact._

_She breathed heavily against the bed, the material dampening with her quick, longing pants, her body desperate for him now. She knew this was wrong, they were colleagues, they shouldn’t, but God if she didn’t love this, him holding her down roughly, his voice in her ear telling her exactly who was in charge, she absolutely craved it._

_Kurt removed his hand from her to shove his boxers down; lining himself up against her. Diane groaned breathily, her ass pushing back into him wantonly. Bending himself over her once again, he sucked on the skin beneath her ear, Diane felt her nipples tighten even further, her body thrusting desperately into the bed as her legs attempted to widen further; the lace of her panties around her lower thighs restricting the movement._

_“Gorgeous.” he whispered into her ear and Diane whimpered again, her body flushing at the praise._ _With a small bite to her shoulder Kurt pushed into her roughly; her slick heat taking him in easily._

_“God!” he growled as she encased him and he began to thrust. Diane’s knuckles turned white as she held onto the sheets, Kurt’s hand still pushing down on her back and keeping her in place. His movements were fast and hard, shoving into her again and again. Diane panted loudly, her hips rocking in time with his. Kurt slid his free hand beneath their moving bodies to rub at her clit; his fingers delicately tracing the wet nub. He felt so good, warm and hard above her, the most delicious feeling of skin on skin._

_“Kurt!” she begged, the pace of his thrusts and pressure of his fingers pushing her right to the edge. “Kurt, I’m gonna-“ she stopped abruptly as he hit a spot deep within her that had her gasping._

_“I know,” he replied his lips by her ear once again. Shifting his hand from her back to her hip he pushed into her with renewed vigour, he felt her muscles clench. She was close, she was so very close. He couldn’t say why but watching the great Diane Lockhart squirm against her bed under his ministrations had his heart beating furiously against his chest._

_Biting his bottom lip his pace increased as he felt himself climbing closer and closer to orgasm. Lying over her one last time, his bare chest pressing into her long back, he breathed against her cheek._

_“Let go, Diane.” he murmured and he instantly felt her contract around him. Her muscles pulsed and trembled as she came hard, her body arching and thrusting forward under his as she finally let go. Diane screamed into the duvet, thrashing violently as the pleasure rolled over her again and again._

Diane bolted up suddenly, her back straight as she shrieked loudly. The warmth of his skin had disappeared all too quickly, his woody smell faded just as fast and suddenly, she realized that she was alone. 

Her mouth fell open and closed, dragging in deep mouthfuls of air as she tried to regulate her breathing. Her heavy pants were loud and laboured, the puffs of air deafening in the silence of her room. Her cheeks burned hot with embarrassment and, if she was being honest, satisfaction.

She blinked her eyes furiously, her hands clutching her duvet between white knuckles as she regained her senses slowly. Her skin was still tingling all over; each nerve ending alight with desire, her mind still fuzzy with confusion and exhaustion, and her heart still pounding with lust.

Swallowing hard, Diane tried to recall what had happened. Her limbs shook and shuddered slightly, her smooth skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat and her muscles ached - beyond tense. She breathed deeply again; her cheeks flushing an even darker shade of pink as she realized her thighs were damp beneath her silky pyjama shorts. 

She let out a few low whimpers, her dazed blue eyes sliding shut as she registered the violent contractions in her lower abdomen. Not  _again_ , she groaned falling back into her damp sheets heavily. She dragged her fingers through her hair, staring up at the ceiling. 

This had to stop. It had been _five days_ , five days of this torture. Five days since their kiss and five days of very,  _very_  vivid dreams, the latest of which had just made her come. Hard. 

What the hell was wrong with her? It was one kiss, she’d shared one kiss with Kurt McVeigh and now she couldn’t get him out of her head.  These dreams were exhausting, hot and sexy but physically exhausting, she was drained.

She could barely look at him anymore. Naturally, she tried to avoid him after that night, pretended that nothing happened. She tried hard to steer clear of his green, green eyes, but they were partners and so she'd had only managed a few hours of this tactic before she'd been forced to talk to him.  

For his part, Kurt seemed to be unfazed by the incident, carrying on easily as if everything was normal, well, with the exception of his flirting. He no longer flirted with her, there were no more leering looks and it appeared to her as if he'd moved on. He'd put the whole thing behind him, but for her, with each glance her nipples hardened, her heart raced wildly, her cheeks flushed and it was making work incredibly difficult. 

It was dangerous really, her longing for him, for one thing he was bound to notice her lusty gaze at some point and she really didn’t need that. For another, her blushing was surely going to give them away, to their colleagues, or even worse, Will. 

She really had to get this under control. They were professionals; colleagues and nothing more. Sure, they'd kissed and she’d been dreaming about him ever since, but that was nothing. She could handle that.  They just had to be professional. She simply had to get a grip and be a move passed it like he’d done.

With one final sigh, Diane threw the covers off her body, standing quickly and marching toward the bathroom. It was time for a cold shower, a  _very_  cold shower.

-0-0-0-

Diane groaned, scribbling her name on another document before pushing it to the side of her desk. Tossing her pen down, she flexed her fingers, rolling her tight shoulders. Somehow since Will’s suspension the paperwork had quadrupled; she felt as if she spent more time signing legal documents than actually practicing the law these days. 

With another heavy exhale, she let her eyes slide shut, exhaustion slipping across her face. She really needed a massage and a good night’s sleep. Preferably both. Ever since that kiss on her doorstep she hadn’t been able to escape Kurt McVeigh. The man followed her everywhere; he was always around, at work, in court, hell, even in her dreams! She just needed some time away from him. Time for the shame to fade, and for her lust to fizzle out. 

The buzzer on her phone suddenly startled her back into reality, her mind jumping from thoughts of sexy cowboys. 

“Miss Lockhart, your eleven o'clock is here” her assistant’s professional voice drifted through and Diane couldn’t help the groan that escaped her lips, her head falling forward onto her desk in exasperation. After a moment of self-pity, she pushed herself up, breathed in a bout of fresh air and let her finger dance over to the telephone; depressing a button.

“Thank you, Alice, send them in.” she replied dejectedly, taking another deep breath and squaring her shoulders. She could do this. 

Her meeting was with a new client, one whose name she hadn’t caught. It was something Will had set up with her assistant, some professional who wanted representation. She understood that they needed any and all business at the moment - especially after the fallout of Will's suspension, but it was the last thing she felt like doing today. Pitching to some monkey in a suit who was more interested in the fact that the Governor's wife worked here, than what they could offer representation-wise.

The rattling of knuckles on her glass door had her looking up as someone stepped into the room. 

"Oh my god! Will!" Diane greeted happily, quickly rising from her desk with renewed energy and bouncing over to hug him. His arms wound round her waist quickly as hers looped around his neck, and he twirled them around. Will hummed as Diane squeezed him tightly, her eyes shutting as she breathed him in. God, she'd missed him.

“What are you doing here?” she asked pulling back from him slightly, her smile wide and sparkling as she met his greeny-brown eyes. 

“Wanted to see you,” he shrugged and Diane rolled her eyes, shoving his shoulder with a chuckle. 

“Oh please!” she scoffed, pulling out of his embrace to fold her arms across her chest smugly. “You’re such a flirt!”

Will shook his head with a boyish laugh.

"No, really," he repeated, his features forming a genuine smile that had her heart melting slightly.  "I miss you Diane." he continued lovingly and Diane’s face softened, her smile curling at the corners of her lips sweetly. She had missed him too, so, so much and it was so nice to hear he felt the same.  

They hadn’t always been close, they’d outright hated each other when Stern had thrown them together, but seven years later, she couldn’t imagine her life without him. 

“Well, I wish I could chat,” she replied mournfully, brushing passed his sentimental proclamation, knowing if she dwelled too long on it, she’d fall into a trap of thinking about the whole situation, then that would naturally progress to thoughts of Kurt McVeigh and really she couldn’t handle more of that. “I really wish I could,” she repeated. “but my eleven o’clock just got here”

“I know.” Will smirked cockily and Diane frowned. “You’re looking at him.” he proclaimed bouncing on the balls of his feet, proud as a school boy. 

“You’re my eleven o’clock?” She asked with a disbelieving grin.  

“I am!” 

“You made an appointment?” 

“I did” 

“Why?” she asked in a surprised gasp, her grin wide as she ran a hand up and down his forearm in a familiar gesture. 

“I missed you.” Diane’s heart fluttered, her smile soft and mushy as she met his eyes. Sometimes this man could be so sweet. 

“I miss you too, Will.” Will ducked his head bashfully, moved by the honesty and emotion laced into her words. 

“So, yeah. My sisters are driving me crazy and I’m bored out of my mind -“ he tried, standing up straighter and taking on a more masculine, gruff tone. 

“-and you miss me,” Diane cut in and Will rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, and I miss you! So I thought we needed a senior partner’s lunch!” Will smirked as Diane's eyes lit up, blue orbs sparkling back at him. 

“Oh!” she gasped in excitement. “We haven’t done one of those in ages!”

Will grinned back at her. Stern had turned them onto the senior partner’s lunch. Every few months the managing partners would block off an afternoon and head to one of Chicago’s top restaurants to drink, eat and recharge. The old man’s travels had often kept him away and so the tradition had fallen to them, the lunches becoming a more regular thing, bi-monthly chances to catch up with each other; something their busy schedules often didn’t allow.

“Yeah, I figured with everything that’s going on we could use one.” Will offered with a shrug and Diane let out a sound of pure happiness. This couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Oh, Will! I could kiss you right now!” she gasped excitedly, her grin wide and telling. 

“With tongue?” he teased with a rugged smile. His joke making Diane roll her eyes. 

“You know what? I take it back, I don’t miss you at all!” she sassed with a dark look. Will chuckled, leaning in to plant a kiss on her cheek. 

“You love me!” he said with a smirk and Diane feigned a heavy sigh. The partners locked eyes for a moment as she pretended to scold him, before they both dissolved into a fit of giggles. 

“Okay,” Diane began, smiling. “Just give me a minute to run over a few things with Alice and we can go.” Her happiness was evident as she bounced back to her desk, her joy showing in her body language. 

“Sure, I’ll get Kurt and meet you in the lobby.”

“What?” Diane's head snapped up and she spun back round suddenly, her eyes wide and brow furrowed. 

“I’ll meet you in the lobby” Will repeated. 

“No, I mean, Kur- McVeigh is coming?” she asked seriously. 

“Yeah, I invited him” he said casually, his smile carefree. 

“Why!” Diane gasped out before she could stop herself. Will frowned deeply, cocking his head to the side.

“He’s a partner too, Diane.” Will responded cautiously, speaking slowly as if she were a small child. 

Diane blushed, her heart racing as she realizing how rude she was being. Biting the inside of her cheek, she dipped her head slightly in embarrassment.

“I know, I’m sorry, I just,” she began thoughtfully, her brow furrowed seriously. “When you said the senior partners, I thought you meant just us, like old times.” Her voice trailed off, far too timid and quiet to belong to the great Diane Lockhart.  

“Well yeah,” Will started in the same condescending tone he’d used before. “But, he’s a partner now too, so-“

“Right of course.” Diane gulped out quickly, looking longingly at her desk. “You know,” she began. “I uh, I actually have a lot to do, a lot of paper work, so maybe another time?”

Will frowned deeply, stepping toward her with thinned eyes. 

“What are you talking about? Not three seconds ago you were ready to drop everything?” His voice was low and suspicious and Diane forced a smile. 

“I know, I just wasn’t thinking, I actually really need to get on top of a few cases and...” she continued to ramble, listing things that needed to be sorted; clients that needed her assistance. The lies all lost on her pensive partner. 

“Diane,” Will finally stopped her, turning to close the door to her office before walking back toward her and meeting her eyes. “Is this about me inviting Kurt?”

“What? No!” she replied too quickly, her defensive tone giving away more than she would have liked. Will’s face pinched into confusion, his green eyes thinning warily. 

“It is, is there something going on with you two?” Will asked pointedly and Diane blanched at the mere suggestion. 

“Going on with us?” she repeated in an agitated laugh, her eyes wide as she cringed. “What do you mean? Why would think that?” Her hands twisted together nervously.  

“I mean, are you not getting along? Are you guys having issues?” Will queried with a serious look. 

“No, no of course not!” she defended hastily. 

“Because,” he continued with an intense frown. “...you were excited about our lunch until you found out he was going to be there,” 

“No, no it’s not that, I just I don’t, I have a lot to do and I don’t want to get behind.” she explained lamely, avoiding his eyes.  Will stared at her for a long moment, his gaze making her uncomfortable with its intensity. 

“Are you sure? Because it seems like you have a problem with him...” he pushed and Diane gulped. 

“No I don’t, I don't, I just, you know what? It’s fine. I’ll come." she settled still defensive. 

"What about your paper work?" Will pushed with a daring look, his hazel eyes thinned.

"It’s fine, you're right, it’ll keep," Diane forced a bright and wide smile, hoping to cover her own embarrassment. "I’m just trying to stay on top of everything but I can have lunch. I should eat." Will cocked his head slightly, a small confused smirk settled on is lips for a tediously long minute before he finally flashed her a genuine smile.  

"Okay good!" he exclaimed in triumph. "And work will still be there tomorrow, you can have Alice call if there’s anything major."  he continued, squeezing her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"Yes! Good idea!" she said swallowing down any more hesitation.

"Okay then, great, you had me worried for a moment there, Lockhart!" he chuckled heartily and Diane faked another smile, grinning from ear to ear. "I thought my two best friends might not be getting along!" 

"Ha!" Diane laughed out awkwardly, her mind racing back to that night on her doorstep, when his two best friends were all over each other, getting along just fine. In fact, it could be argued that when Kurt had his hand on her ass and his tongue down her throat, they'd been getting along  _great_. "No, no, nothing like that." she fumbled out, blushing again.

"Good, I knew he’d be a good fit." Diane smiled again, her cheeks beginning to ache from the effort. He was a good fit all right, he fit against her body just perfectly. "I’m gonna go get him and I’ll meet you in the lobby okay?"

"Yes!" she agreed brightly, her cheeks aching with the effort to remain positive. "See you there!"

Will flashed her one last winning grin, before turning to leave her office. Diane held her breath as she watched him disappear down the hall, letting out a huge rush of air as he slipped out of her sight. She spun letting her eyes drop closed as her hands fell to the visitors chair, breathing deeply as she let her head hang. 

“Shit.” she muttered, her heart racing. 

Her plan of avoiding Kurt unless it was absolutely necessary had just gone out of the window. How the hell was she supposed to sit through a whole lunch with him? How could she even look at him? Every time she did her mind flashed back to her saucy dreams, his hands on her skin, Forceful, demanding and sexy. She remembered the front door and how he’d pushed her against it, his body hard and warm on hers as she kissed him. And then… the promise of more. Dear Lord. She was screwed.

-0-0-0-

Diane smiled politely as the waiter showed the trio to their table, her heart thundering as Kurt - ever the gentleman - pulled her chair out and invited her to sit.

"Thank you," she muttered softly, barely looking at him. The car ride over had been nothing short of suffocating, Diane had sat side by side with Kurt in the backseat, their thighs just touching whenever the cab turned a corner too sharply. She’d spent the entire trip holding her breath, with her heart stuttering wildly against her chest as she held her breath. The tension in the car was stifling, a heavy weight that warmed the car far too much for a cold December morning.

Her heart fluttered once again as his fingertips brushed her shoulder, dragging her back to the present. His hand innocently grazed the silk of her shirt as he moved passed her to take his seat, leaving her blushing. Lord! What was wrong with her? They hadn't spoken more than five sentences to each other since that night and besides her vivid dreams they certainly hadn't interacted physically, and yet, his touch was still as electric and stimulating as it had been when he kissed her.

Will smiled as he settled into the seat beside her, oblivious to her unease as he snapped up his menu. The third partner dropped into the seat across from her,  _a cruel move,_  she thought, as it forced her to look at him. Although, thinking about it now, having him beside her, within reach might not have been any better. As it was she could feel her body reacting to him, her pulse jumping a little faster against her throat, her skin heating up as she tried to sneak a glance at his green eyes without him noticing. This was going to be a disaster, the lunch had barely began and she was already red hot and squirming at the memory of her dreams and their kiss. 

"What are you having?" Diane was pulled from her reverie as Will turned toward her expectantly. Blinking out of her thoughts she looked around the table for the first time noticing the waiter eagerly awaiting their orders.

"Uh," she fumbled, quickly trying to flip through the heavy menu. "I'll just have a salad, Caesar." The young man nodded happily, hastily scribbling down her order.

"Diane?" Will scoffed, looking at her as if she'd gone mad. His eyebrow bounced up curiously, his frown deep.

"What?" she asked distractedly.

"No, it's just," he began again throwing a glance around the table before his eyes settled back onto hers. "You normally get the steak; in fact, you always get the steak."

Diane blinked at her partner dumbly, her mouth falling open slightly.

"Right, of course," she said shaking her head, her cheeks tinging a bit. "I'm uh, I'm watching my figure," she offered up in an awkward whisper. Her blue eyes suddenly caught Kurt's green and she let out a nervous giggle. Of all the things she didn't want Kurt McVeigh to know, and there were  _many_ , the fact that she was just as self-conscious as any other woman was pretty high up. Well, right behind the fact that she'd been dreaming about fucking him senseless since their kiss.

"Oh God!" Will groaned out exaggeratedly. "Please, not you too, you sound like my sisters! Come on! You don't need to worry about that, you look amazing, you're gorgeous." he carried on in an annoyed rant. "C'mon Kurt tell her, she’s beautiful, right?"

Diane's eyes widened at the same time Kurt's did, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red as Will looked to their partner expectantly. Kurt swallowed slightly, clearing his throat as he looked between the pair. Finally, after a painfully long moment he spoke up, his voice catching just a little.

"You're, uh, you're beautiful, Diane." he agreed, his lips almost curling into an almost grimace beneath his moustache as he realised those were the exact words he'd said to her _that_ night.

Diane felt dizzy as she looked at Kurt, her mind suddenly flooded with flashbacks. His whispered words, the touch of their lips, his hands skating down over her ass, his taste…

She gulped unable to reply as she continued to look at him. Will seemed satisfied with Kurt's words, and smiled widely, triumphantly.

"Good, it's settled then. She'll have the steak," Will told their waiter boldly, his large hand falling onto hers and giving it a tight squeeze until she turned to meet his gaze. "And dessert too," he added and Diane couldn’t help but roll her eyes in amusement, the sexual tension between her and her other partner momentarily forgotten as she remembered just why she missed Will so much.

The waiter cleared his throat, awaiting the final approval and Diane let out a short scoff.

"Fine, I'll have the steak - but no dessert!" she replied seriously and Will just laughed.

"We'll see," he muttered with thinned eyes that had Diane shaking her head in a chuckle. The young man left the trio, scuttling off to appease more guests.

Suddenly an awkward silence settled over the table, as all the occupants took turns looking at each other.

“So,” Kurt finally piped up, breaking the heavy quiet. “You do this often? A senior partners lunch?”

“Relatively,” Diane replied, her eyes now focused on her fingers tugging at the edge of her serviette, anything to avoid his piercing green orbs.  

“Oh,” 

“Stern started it.” Will jumped in, threading his fingers together and resting his hands on the table. “...it was how he kept up to date with the managerial side of the firm.

Diane scoffed at that, throwing Will a dark and incredulous smirk.

“Oh, please, it was Stern’s way of drinking before midday,” she said with a roll of her eyes, making Kurt snicker lowly. Will laughed along with him, nodding his head in agreement.

“Well, yeah, that’s true. That man could down a bottle of whiskey before nine in the morning.” Will said.

“And still make it to court by ten!” Diane added with a fond smile, finally settling down and focusing on something other than the masculine hands of the partner sitting opposite her.

“He was really something else,” Will continued nodding to Kurt. Diane was just about to launch into a tale of Stern in his prime when the waiter returned carrying a tray of their drinks.

Will bowed his head in thanks as the young man deposited their alcohol in front of them, carefully lowering the bourbon filled tumblers to the table.

“Thank you.” Diane smiled kindly earning herself a wolfish smile from the young man. Kurt quirked an eyebrow at the exchange, meeting Will’s gaze meaningfully. The waiter nodded, and announced he’d return with their food before shooting Diane another hot look and bouncing off.

Will stifled a chuckle.

“She gets that a lot,” he advised, shrugging as he spoke to Kurt.

“What?” Diane frowned deeply, her eyes thinned. 

“Oh, nothing,” Will replied with a knowing smirk. “I was just explaining to Kurt about your admirers.” Diane’s eyes grew at the suggestion, her cheeks burning once again as she met Kurt’s questioning look.

“He’s young enough to be my son!” she hissed out in embarrassment, her heart beginning to pound as her eyes remained locked on Kurt’s. For some reason she felt the need to defend herself. She wasn’t one of those women who jumped at every man she met, and certainly not the kind of woman who had flings with twenty-somethings. In fact, she’d told him once before – she didn’t date children, her tastes were more steered toward experience, and lately, to _him_.

“Still checked you out…” Will trailed off baiting her in a way both Diane and Kurt registered. Diane huffed at his teasing, shoving his shoulder roughly and making their third partner chuckle softly.

“Okay, that’s enough!” she admonished with some finality, glowering at the two men. With a sophisticated twist of her wrist she brought her glass to her lips, sipping the amber liquid with a hum of approval. 

“So,” Will began, still wearing a naughty grin, his glass raised into the air as he toast the three partners. “Now that we have the crutch of alcohol…”

“Thank God!” Diane whispered under her breath making both men smirk.

“Shall we do High/Low?”

“Oh no!” Diane replied aghast, her annoyance palpable.

“What? We have to! It’s tradition!” Will shot back just as quickly, his bottom lip pouting like a petulant child.

“Please Will, we’re passed that!” Diane rolled her eyes taking another sip of her drink, as she waved a dismissive hand in his direction.

“Oh, come on!” Will insisted in a whine. 

“What is High-?” Kurt trailed off in confusion, cocking his head to the side curiously. 

“Oh,” Will jumped in. “...it’s this thing that Stern used to do,”

“It’s antiquated and unbecoming, and we’re better than that.” Diane rolled her eyes, twirling her wrist and watching the ice swirl in her tumbler. 

“Oh please, you love it,” Will sassed back with a dashing smirk. Diane huffed, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms, her reluctance evident. 

“Basically,” Will explained. “Stern believed we should see the good and the bad in the law. So he invented a sort of game that we’d play whenever we had partner lunches. He’d make us say the best thing to happen to us that month and the worst; work-wise.”

“It was supposed to provide perspective,” Diane butted in, gulping down another sip of her bourbon. “But usually it just ends up with us bitching about the staff,” Kurt chuckled at that shaking his head with a dashing grin. 

“Sounds fun,” he offered up in a low voice that had Diane shifting, his eyes boring into hers intensely. Will beamed, nodding thankfully to the other man. 

“Oh it is! Diane's just moody because she doesn’t want you to know she’s a gossip.” Will responded, shooting his female partner a smug look. 

“Will!” Diane shrieked slapping his shoulder loudly, her face pinched in embarrassment. 

“Oy! I’m just saying, you don’t like others to see you’re human, that you too can hate David Lee, Just like us mere peasants,”

Her eyes thinned. 

“I don’t gossip.” she hissed in feigned anger. Will held his hands up in surrender acting innocent, his eyes wide and childlike until finally Diane couldn’t handle the facade any longer and fell into a fit of giggles at his ridiculousness. 

As his partner laughed, Will turned to a smiling Kurt mouthing  _she gossips_ dramatically and earning him another smack to his shoulder.  Kurt chuckled lowly. 

“Fine then, William. You go first.” Diane said primly, folding her arms neatly across her chest and dipping her head to the side encouragingly

“Fine,” he sassed back. “My high is this lunch, dining with my  _favourite_  partners!” Will exaggerated, smiling to snidely at both Kurt and Diane.  

“Pushover,” Diane coughed under her breath trying to conceal a smile. Kurt sipped at his bourbon enjoying the ease at which the others mocked each other.

Will thinned his eyes in her direction which evoked one of her trademark chuckles.

“And my low this month - besides being benched from the law,” he smirked only half joking.

Diane shared a quick look with Kurt, putting aside her rule of avoiding eye contact to share a mournful expression with the other man. They both knew what this suspension was doing to Will. Eating him alive was an apt description.

“My low has to be my sisters.” he finished with an annoyed look. Kurt snorted at that breaking their eye contact as he shook his head in Will’s direction. Diane rolled her eyes, her pout of incredulity making her younger partner defensive.

“I’m serious! They’re driving me insane!” Will said seriously, his eyes wide with honesty. 

“Oh, stop being a baby!” Diane laughed. “They’re your family; they love you.”

“They’re killing me!” Will raged, trying desperately to win the pair over to his side. “They’re everywhere, all the time! They’re there when I wake up, when I have breakfast, lunch, they’re chatty and loud and just…everywhere! At my house, when I go to the store, I don’t do anything alone anymore, hell, I can’t even remember the last time I was alone!” he huffed out, raking his fingers through his hair in a self-induced frenzy.

“They want me to share every thought and feeling, I can’t even have a cup of coffee without the Spanish inquisition! They wanna know everything! Who my friends are, why they aren’t visiting, am I depressed, if dating would make me less depressed? Who I’m dating?! What fictional girlfriend I’m going to marry!”

“This morning? Sarah went off on a rant about the last woman I kissed! She wanted to know all sorts of details, her name, age, if there was tongue, her freaking social security number!”

Kurt and Diane shared a split second of awkward eye contact before both drew their drinks to their lips. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where their thoughts had gone. The last person they’d kissed was each other; on her doorstep, with quite a bit of tongue.  Will continued to ramble on as the other partners tried desperately to avoid each other again.  

“...really as if I have time to kiss someone let alone date them!” he puffed out with an exaggerated roll of his eyes, her exasperation evident. 

“Well,” Kurt began stopping Will’s tirade. “Technically, you have a lot of free time now, so...” he chimed in and Diane hid a soft snort of a laugh behind her hand, pleasantly surprised by the joke. 

Will looked between the others frowning deeply, 

“You’re mean! Both of you! You have no idea how insane they are!” Diane laughed harder at that, matching Kurt’s low chuckle of amusement, some of the tension between them easing. 

“Fine then,” Will said in a pout, crossing his arms petulantly over his chest as he sneered at Diane. “Let’s see you do better!”

“Me?” Diane asked coyly her hand rising to her chest incredulously. “Do better than your sisters who love you and take an interest in your life?” she mocked and Kurt let out another low snort, sipping on his bourbon.

“It’s more than an interest,” Will hissed under his breath grumpily. Diane grinned taking a sip of her drink before placing it neatly in front of her. 

“Let’s see then, my high...” she paused thoughtfully for a moment her traitorous mind flashing images of Kurt’s lips. Her high was him, their kiss, the way he’d tasted and her dreams since. Before she could help herself she felt her cheeks flush pink, the heat rising in them quickly. 

“Oh,” Will hummed slyly, misinterpreting her blush – well, partially. “Is it a man?” he raised his eyebrows hinting smugly. Diane tried to hide her embarrassment by rolling her blue eyes pushing at his shoulder again. 

“No! God, is your mind always in the gutter? No, not a man.” she threw back in a huff that had both men scoffing lowly. Diane gulped scrambling to cover her defensive tone, it was bad enough she was blushing, she didn’t need Will getting any ideas. “Well, not in the sense you’re talking about.” she tried, her nervousness hidden behind a tumble of words. “It’s Martin Pierce.”

“Pierce from tax?” Kurt asked with a frown and Diane swallowed hard as their eyes met again. She ducked her head slightly in a nod of agreement. 

"Don’t tell me you’re dating that loser!” Will groaned rolling his eyes. 

“Yes, I’m pregnant and we’re running away together.” she replied deadpan, her blue eyes thinned darkly. Both men smirked, sharing a look. “Get a grip, Will! I’m not in some torrid love affair with our tax lawyer. Martin has a very suspicious lump on his stomach that he needs to be biopsied and he came to request time off.”

Will scrunched his face in distaste.

“That was your high?” he questioned.

“No, God! This is my low, a very low, low!” Diane replied in irritation

“So your low is that you can’t spare him?” Kurt concluded with a furrowed brow, his confusion matching that of his other partner.

“Ha!” Diane laughed with a large grin. “I wish. No, I gave him the time off, naturally, and then,” she shut her eyes gulping down bile as she recalled the story. “Then, Martin felt the need to show me his lump.” she finished and the faces of both men pinched in disgust. 

“Oh my god.” Will whispered in a grimace. Martin wasn’t exactly in peak physical health, in fact he hadn’t been in that state in quite some years.  

“Yep.” Diane agreed sipping on her drink with a small shrug. “He lifted his shirt,” she paused, her expression awash with repulsion. “...showed me the most vile, grey…lumpy, mass of….”she trailed off lost for words, unable to continue reliving the moment.

“Anyway,” she said after a few moments. “Pierce’s…thing, trumps your inquisitive sisters!”

“Okay,” Will nodded, raising his hand into the air and signalling to the waiter to bring another round of drinks. “We’re gonna need more alcohol!” Diane smirked, downing the last of her drink in agreement.

“So what was your high?” Kurt asked suddenly and Diane’s gaze shot to him, surprised.

“Oh, um,” she paused, swallowing hard as her mind betrayed her again. He was her high, and if the tiny smirk beneath his moustache was anything to go by, her felt the same way. Lord, they needed to stop this. They couldn’t.

"Well," she breathed out, grinning widely, forcefully, as she met the gaze of both her partners. "That would have to be the pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes I bought yesterday!" Diane smiled happily, content with her cover story and the prospect of her fancy new heels.

"What?! That can't be your high! It's not even related to work!"

"I'll wear them to work!" she argued, years of practicing law and a lifelong shoe fetish all manifesting in a very defensive tone. 

"You're reaching councillor,"  Will replied in a laugh, sharing another smirk with Kurt.

"Oh, and as if your sisters have anything to do with the firm?" she retorted.

"Touché," her partner conceded and all three shared a small laugh.  

"What about you Kurt?" Will prompted after a moment, turning his attention to the older man. Diane looked mournfully at her empty glass, wishing the waiter would hurry up with their refills. She then took her time inspecting her manicure, trying not to get swept up in his voice as he started his story. His low drawl was more than appealing, it was downright addictive, she could spend hours listening to him talk - not that he was particularly loquacious.

"My high would have to be the Miller account; he signed the retainer this morning, half a million in monthly billing." Kurt began. "I don't like to brag but it was a helluva feeling." Diane's eye shot up at that, her head cocking to the side as she frowned.

"Damn right!" Will cheered, lifting his almost empty glass into the air to clink against Kurt's. Diane froze in her seat, her eyes racing between the men trying to put together what was happening.

"The Miller account?" she asked warily, her back straight as a prickling sensation ran through her body. Something was off.

"Oh, yeah! Diane, Kurt signed Matt Miller," Will told her excitedly. "We're looking at millions in legal fees, especially due to his company being sued."

"Not to mention the sexual harassment lawsuit," Kurt added. "Lucky for us he can't keep it in his pants,"

Diane's face scrunched pensively, her lips parting suspiciously.

"We're talking about Matt Miller, the billionaire, the CEO of Miller Exports?" she confirmed, her breathing changing as she tried to remain calm.

"The very same," Will replied, still smiling widely. 

"The same Matt Miller who raped his assistant and funded the campaign that shut down three battered women's shelters on the South-side?" she continued, her anger building, her eyes fiery; burning with disgust that her partners could finally sense.

"He hasn’t been convicted," Kurt responded cautiously, his gut twisting as he recognized the fury in her expression.  

Diane shook her head in a bitter scoff, turning her attention to the younger man. Will gulped as he met her dark blue eyes, knowing her well enough to see the vicious attack that was on its way.

"The same Matt Miller, who we agreed we would not take on as a client," she hissed out, her hands curling into fists as her jaw set tightly.  

"Diane," Will began, realizing where she was going.

"We don't discuss things anymore?" she shout-whispered, her expression deadly.

"It wasn't like that. You were busy, I'm sorry, you were in Court and the offer came in and, Diane, it's six-hundred-thousand dollars a month; we can't turn down that kind of money. Kurt and I voted and-"

"You and Kurt?" she repeated tensely.  

"Diane, it was time sensitive and we-" Kurt cut in, trying to help their friend. Diane shot him a look.

"Don't!" she growled. "Don't you dare try and make this better for him." Turning her attention back to Will, she took another steadying breath hoping to slow the speed of her heart as her temper grew.

"We agreed not to take him on!" she seethed through clenched teeth, her expression tight with rage. Will bulked slightly at her vicious tone, suddenly squaring her shoulders and sitting up straighter.

"No," The younger man replied in a barely restrained voice, a knee-jerk reaction of anger countering her attack. "No, Diane, you agreed,"

"He raped that woman!" she responded aghast, her jaw painfully tense and her eyes alight with hurt and outrage. Her mind reeling at the thought that Kurt would even consider this client, wasn’t he all about morals and family values? On the other hand, he was a republican and maybe that was the appeal of Matt Miller; his affiliation with the GOP.

"We took a vote, Diane." Will explained, flinching as she shot him a death glare.

"And what about my vote?" she shrieked out.

"You weren't available and you would have been outvoted regardless, your vote wouldn't have mattered" he carried on gruffly, his guard up as he readied himself for the argument that was rapidly unfolding. Diane smirked bitterly, shaking her head.

"And his does?" she gaped, gesturing to Kurt in frustration. "I wasn't aware your _stand-in_ got a vote when it came to long term decisions about the firm!" she hissed out viciously.

"Diane," Kurt jumped in, gaining her rabid attention. "Will and I did what we thought was best for the firm." he continued in a calm voice that only annoyed her more. Diane's eyes grew in outrage as she released a short laugh of incredulity.  

"You and Will? Oh my God." she said, shaking her head. Removing the serviette from her lap, she threw it onto the table, pushing her chair back. "I should have known." she whispered in disbelief. "How could I have been so stupid?"

"Diane," Will started, his hand falling to her wrist but retreating quickly as she snatched her arm back from him.  

"Don’t worry, you said." Diane continued, blinded by her anger, her eyes no longer meeting theirs. "Don’t worry, we’ll get McVeigh, he doesn’t have an agenda. He's Switzerland. There’s nothing to worry about." she recalled, looking at Will with a mournful expression, repeating the words he'd used to convince her to take on Kurt. Her confusion and anger melted into something else entirely, something close to betrayal.

"What are you-?" he tried again but Diane cut him off.  

"He doesn’t have an agenda!" She suddenly threw out, her voice low but loud and steady. Both men gulped at her tone. "Well, I guess you were at least honest about that, he doesn’t have an agenda because he has _yours_. He’s here to further _your_ agenda!" she finished in a hiss, her face screwed into a sneer, her eyes dark with distrust.

"Diane, What the f-?"

"You _knew_ how I felt about Matt Miller, we discussed it." she said passionately, shaking her head in disbelief. "We discussed it, I said no, and now, your  _neutral_ substitute - " she snapped throwing a flippant hand out to Kurt as her eyes glowered at Will. "You used him to bring on Miller, you knew I'd be opposed to it, so you bought him on and voilà, you get a third vote." Her whole face was tense and sad, the mixture making Will uncomfortable. "You get exactly what you wanted. God, I was such a fool." 

"Diane that’s not-" Will attempted again, barely managing a sentence before she interrupted again, her fury unrelenting. 

"Like hell it’s not!" she roared slamming her fists down on the table and attracting the attention of the other restaurant patrons. The trio glanced around apologetically, noting the inquisitive eyes of the other diners. Diane forced a smile before she bent closer to Will, lowering her voice. 

"I trusted you." she whispered bitterly, her teeth clenched. "I helped you, the only reason you even have a license is because of me! I saved your ass and you-" Diane rolled her eyes, pushing back from him, she blinked a few times, forcing back tears she refused to let either of them see. Suddenly she shoved her chair out, tossing her handbag over her shoulder as she stood.

Both men made a move to stand as well but neither was able to get to their feet before she spoke again.

"Screw you!" she spat out maliciously, her eyes piercing Will's before shooting Kurt a look too. With one final disbelieving shake of her head, she spun on her heel and sped off in the direction of the exit, leaving the men dumbfounded in their seats.

-0-0-0-

Diane marched through the firm, her strides wide and purposeful as she raced to her office. She knew it wouldn't be long before the boys came after her, and she planned to be long gone by then. Turning the corner to her outer office, she came into contact with her young assistant, almost crashing into her.

"Oh!" The young girl gasped, taking a step back. "Miss Lockhart!" Her brown eyes were wide as she met those of her boss. "I'm so sorry."

"Alice, I'm going to be working from home for the rest of the day," she informed the girl, not bothering with niceties. Alice's eyes widened as she nodded quickly.

"Of course,"  

"Forward my calls to my cell," Diane continued, striding toward her office to grab her laptop. "And if Will or Mr. McVeigh are looking for me, you haven't seen me since we left for lunch, understood?" she called back over her shoulder.

"Yes Ma'am," Her assistant agreed hastily. Diane spun back again, forcing a tight smile, sensing the younger woman's unease.  

Diane folded up her laptop, slipping it into its sleeve before turning quickly to leave her office. Her feet faltered as she suddenly came face to face with Kurt. Her assistant stood just outside her office, looking sheepish.

"We need to talk," Kurt began, more serious than she'd ever heard him. Diane squared her shoulders, shifting her handbag onto the visitors chair before folding her arms protectively across her chest.

"I don’t have anything to say to you." she replied coolly. 

"Diane," he started again and Diane clenched her jaw, her stomach flipping at the way he said her name - now was not the time to be thinking along those lines. She was pissed and his low voice, sexy as it may be, would not change that. 

"It isn't what you think," he tired and Diane rolled her eyes. "Will and I were just trying to do what's best for the firm," he continued his voice quieter this time, his eyes almost begging hers with honestly. Diane gulped, pursing her lips. 

"No. I’m not doing this." she told him. 

"Just hear me out!"

"No." she snapped back, her hands slipped down to her hips, her stance tall and intimidating; enough to make a lesser man flinch.

"Look, I know things have been awkward since that night on your porch, but-" Diane's eyes grew wide, her face a picture of outrage as she glanced at her assistant still standing behind him, watching them through the open door. Her jaw tightened as she thinned her eyes maliciously. 

"Close the door. Now." she seethed out between clenched teeth, her tone low and vicious. Kurt ducked his head in a nod, turning to shut the glass door and watching as her assistant scurried away, years of working with Diane advising her to make herself scarce.

Shoving his hands into his pockets Kurt prepared himself for an onslaught her fury all but guaranteed. Slowly, pointedly, Diane lifted her head to meet his eyes. 

"Don’t ever mention, what goes on with us privately in front of my staff, do you understand?" her voice was cold and steady, her tone biting.

"Look," Kurt stepped toward her, stopping when she stepped back, folding her arms again, creating a shield; preparing for a battle. "It wasn't what you think,"

"Oh sure," she hissed out sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Miller approached me, and you were in Court, so Will and I-" Kurt attempted again but Diane cut him off quickly.

"Was it all part of the game?" she asked in a shrill tone, her smirk dark and humourless. "All the flirting and the kissing? Just a little added humiliation?" she continued in a bitter voice, her arms gesturing viciously at the space between them "Why not have a bit of fun while you try to steal my firm out from under me? Is that it?"  

"What? No! Of course not, that’s not-"

"Must have been hilarious!" she continued, her eyes softening sadly. "God, I feel like such an idiot because I fell for it, I actually fell for it!"

"Diane I didn’t-" Kurt said, shaking his head as he implored her to listen with green, truthful eyes.

"I've been dreaming about you. Did you know that? Every night since you kissed me, I dream about you, and now, what a laugh you and Will must have had! Poor, desperate Diane lusting after a man who was just in it for a joke"

"Will you just listen to me?!" he roared out, moving toward her again, his hand reaching out for hers. Diane jumped back even further, her heart racing. How could he? She'd been so stupid, so foolish, so blinded by her own desire! She felt awful, betrayed; not only professionally but personally. 

"No, I’m done listening, to you, to Will. I’m done." her voice cracked slightly, her emotion and heartache slipping out. "Get the hell out of my office."

"No we need-,"

"I said get the fuck out of my office! Go! Right now! Or so help me Kurt, I will call security!" she roared with more venom this time and Kurt’s eyes widened as his mouth fell shut. There was a long moment of silence as the pair merely stared at each other, Diane's hands now clenched in fists by her sides. Her breathing was heavy, her chest rising and falling angrily as she met his eyes; her own watering.

Kurt swallowed, letting a soft sigh escape his lips and ducking his head in an accepting nod. Raising his hands in surrender, he moved to back out of her personal space, slowly turning and leaving the office. Stoic and silent. 

The door clicked shut behind him and Diane watched him navigate the corridors through the glass, her heart thundering against her chest as she pressed her lips together tightly, trying not to cry.  Once he was finally out of sight, her small hand flew to her mouth covering a sob as she lowered herself into her visitor’s chair, her eyes sliding shut.

She sat quietly for a few moments, the only sound the dull buzz of her firm at work. God she was tired, tired and hurt. The betrayal of Will was one thing, but Kurt, somehow his lies hurt the most, she'd really thought that he'd - no, no, apparently it was all fake. How foolish of her to get involved with him at all!

Suddenly she was torn from her thoughts as her office door slammed open again.

"I said get out!"  Diane screamed too loudly, her voice shrill. She looked up expecting Kurt to have returned but instead her eyes; wet with unshed tears, met Will's. Her expression darkened, her surprise melting away quickly, transforming into fury.

"What the hell was that?" Will yelled as he stormed into her office, throwing the door shut with a shuddering bang and completely ignoring her warning. 

"Will, not now-" she tried as calmly as she could muster; choking back her anger in an attempt not to cry. She carefully rose from her seat, breathing deeply before meeting his gaze dead on.  

"I mean what the hell was that?!" Will raged on, disregarding her words completely.  

"Get out!" Diane said firmly, squaring her shoulders. "I don’t want to do this here." 

"I don’t give a shit, we're doing this!" Will snapped. 

"Will, we’re in the office. I will not do this now." she repeated through gritted teeth, her eyes filling up with anger once more.

"No!" he screamed back, the veins in his neck bulging as he threw his arms into the air angrily. "We're gonna talk now!”

"Will, we're being watched, please not now." she continued, her voice low and pointed as she met his steely gaze. Behind him she could already see a few associates and assistants gathering, the crowd that had formed during her argument with Kurt growing quickly.

Will chuckled humorlessly, spinning on his heel and gesturing to all the people looking into her office. The onlookers quickly turned away; pretending to be busy. 

"I could care less!  Let them watch! You don't get to accuse me of something like that and walk away!" Will countered aggressively, his face red with anger that matched hers.

"I can do whatever the hell I want, just like you apparently." she snapped back snarkily, her eyes thinned darkly and her lips pursed into a vicious sneer.

“Why are you acting like such a bitch?” Will roared back at her, his eyes dark and fiery as they met hers expectantly. Diane swallowed hard, her blue eyes widening comically. 

“Excuse me?” she hissed incredulously, her voice high pitched and outraged. Will shook his head with a nasty smirk. 

“You heard me." he responded. "This isn’t about me supposedly taking over the firm! You have been all out of sorts ever since Kurt started here." he raged on and Diane blanched slightly, hoping her expression hadn't given away just how close he'd struck to the truth. Kurt did have her all out of sorts, and not just because he was in cahoots to steal her firm.

"I went to him and asked for his help, I asked him on to make sure the firm stayed afloat, and now, we agree on one thing and suddenly you’re acting like nurse ratchet!” 

Diane scoffed as Will finished his tirade, her eyes thinned darkly as she shook her head. Her smile was malicious and deadly, her humourless expression scary in a way he knew all too well.

“Don’t. Don’t you dare try to make out like you’re the hero in this, like you two aren’t conspiring behind my back! Don’t lie to me Will Gardner. I  _know_  you. Don’t make out like you're the good guy and I’m some bitter hag, out of touch with what the firm needs” Diane finished her speech in a pant, her hands gesticulating wildly as she raged.

“Well maybe you are ” Will sneered meanly, his eyes daring. Before she knew what was happening her hand had risen and collided with his face viciously. Will let out a gruff groan, turning his face back to her as he cupped his cheek; flexing his jaw slightly. Diane stared right into his eyes, not flinching under his death glare.

“You son of a bitch! You’re the reason we’re in this mess! You are the reason the firm is in jeopardy at all. You fucked the Governor's wife and you screwed our firm." she argued violently, gulping down her emotion. "You practically threw away my entire life’s work and for what? Some hot sex? Screw you Will! This is _all_ your fault! So don’t you come in here all high and mighty and I saved the firm by hiring a cowboy. No! I’m saving this firm. I’m holding it together and you know what? You’re not gonna take it from me, you and your little spy can try and sabotage me all you want. But don’t forget Will, I’m liked in Chicago. I have people in my corner too, and you don’t want me as your enemy. I can make it so there's not even a firm for you to come back to! And believe me, I will, I will because I'd rather see it up in flames than have you steal it!"  

Will stood deathly still as he listened to her, desperately wanting to interrupt but his partner gave him no such chance. He knew coming in here all hot and agitated wasn't the best move, knew from past experience that fights like this between them never ended well. Still, he was pissed, how could she think he'd betray her like that? Yes, the Miller account wasn't handled in the best way, but he knew he owed her, he'd owe her for the rest of his life; he could never thank her properly for what she did. He could see where she was coming from, and perhaps a few years ago, she would have been right, but not now. They were in a better place and she should have known that, trusted him the way he trusted her. 

His cheek still stung from the slap, his face hot with both anger and pain as she continued to yell.  

"...you think this little suspension damaged your career?" Diane laughed out mercilessly. "I will tarnish it. I will ruin you Will!”

With that, Diane pushed passed him, shoving him to the side as she left her office. Her strides were wide and purposeful, her legs carrying her as fast as they could in her high heels, her eyes stinging as she blinked back tears. 

She wouldn’t let him see her cry. She wouldn't let them know they'd broken her heart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you go...
> 
> I know Diane was quite OOC and paranoid but I figure she’s really sexually frustrated! 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed and review!


	6. Truce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here it is. As always, thank you for your patience. 
> 
> This has been beta’d by the amazing Silverinia! So all thanks go to her!

Diane shifted from foot to foot, her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her long coat as she took a few steadying breaths. It had taken all the courage she had to make it this far and she wasn’t about to back down. Licking her lips, she squared her shoulders before moving a manicured finger to press the buzzer in front of her.  

The ringing sound startled her slightly, her frightful demeanour a testament to just how uncomfortable the situation made her. She hated apologies. 

She gulped as she heard footfalls behind the dark oak door. This was it. The door swung open, the light from within the house splashing out onto her face.

“Hello.” she whispered nervously, her voice trembling in the most unnatural way. She forced a smile and took another steadying breath as her gaze met deep, hazel eyes. 

Will stared back at his partner, his hand still tightly clasped on the door handle, his mouth hanging open in shock. It had been three days since their argument in her office. Three days of silence, anger and unease. 

Diane tried another sheepish grin, shrugging her shoulders in a timid move that Will had never seen from her before. She looked frightened, her body small and shivering in the cool Chicago breeze. Nothing like the Diane Lockhart he knew. 

“Hi.” he finally fumbled out, his eyes glued to her face, his expression confused and almost… grateful. Diane swallowed hard, her breath smoking out in the cold as she shifted on her feet. 

“Hello.” she repeated softly, her eyes suddenly welling with tears. Will’s face softened at that, his heart an aching throb in his chest. He was just about to open his mouth with a few reassuring words, when, suddenly, there was a loud bang from behind him.

“William! Where’s the food? Pay the man and bring me my Chinese!” Someone screeched out from inside the house and both partners jumped; both releasing shaky and relieved sighs. 

Will’s eyes slid closed as Aubrey squawked again, demanding he would hurry up. With a shake of his head, he took a deep breath. He was going to kill his sisters.  

When his hazel eyes finally slipped open, he saw nothing but indecision reflecting painfully back at him, Diane’s face a picture of worry and unease. Another awkward moment passed between them and Diane made a move to leave, stepping back.

Will’s hand jumped out, grabbing her wrist before she had the chance to turn, his head shaking the negative. 

“Will!” his sister’s voice rang out again, closer this time, the sound of heavy footfalls following it into his foyer. 

“Diane?” Aubrey asked excitedly, a large, toothy grin plastered across her face as she stepped toward the partners. Will let his eyes shut again, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “Oh, my God!” she continued. 

Will opened his eyes at that, his body tensing and his fingers around Diane’s hand tightening.

“Aubrey” he ground out. “Go away!” he told her firmly, his gaze locked steadily with Diane’s. 

“What?” His sister scoffed.

“Go away!” he repeated without turning back, a smirk tugging on his lips. Diane’s blue eyes widened comically at his loud bellow, her jaw dropping in surprise. From behind him, he could hear his sister grumbling, probably rolling her eyes as she stormed off. God, he needed a break from them. 

“You wanna go for a walk?” he asked once they were alone and Diane let out a small, trembling laugh. 

“Yes.” she agreed with a genuinely happy smile, her nerves easing slightly. 

Will grinned back at her, dipping his head in a self-conscious nod. He turned to the coat rack on his left, grabbed a jacket and shrugged into it, closing the door behind him as he moved to leave the house. His hand naturally fell on the small of Diane’s back, helping her down the stairs, and leading her into the night.

The evening was chilly, the cool air swirling around them as they walked in silence toward the park around the corner. He knew why she'd come, although, to be honest, he’d thought that he would be the one to call a truce. Diane didn’t give up that easily. They could go weeks at a time without reconciling, had done it in the past, but he supposed this was different.

Apologizing was difficult for her, maybe even more so than it was for him. She was a proud woman who was almost never wrong, and so admitting defeat had always made her feel less than that. Will knew this better than anyone, and perhaps because of it, he was more understanding. Besides, it wasn’t like they hadn't both made mistakes and said things they shouldn’t have said. 

“It’s a nice night.” he offered up thoughtfully, his head tilted up to look at the stars, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans as they strolled into the park. Diane hummed, not saying anything, her eyes locked on her pointed heels as she placed one foot in front of the other. 

Will glanced to his side, taking in his partner. She looked exhausted like she hadn’t been sleeping and he wondered if it was his fault. Was he the reason she looked so tired, so drained? His mind immediately answered for him, making his gut twist. Of course it was his fault. He’d gotten their firm into trouble and she was paying for it. 

“I’m sorry.” Diane suddenly blurted out, stopping mid-step and turning toward him. Will looked back at her, his eyes wide with amazement and just a hint of admiration. Diane worried her bottom lip between her teeth, her face a picture of anxiety as she awaited his reply.

“When did you realize you were wrong?” he asked finally, a small grin hanging from his lips. His voice was calm and joyous in his hope to lighten the heavy tension that had settled over them. Diane let out a giggle, covering her face with her hands.

“Ahh!” she groaned, shaking her head with a grin as she moved to sit on a nearby bench. “About ten minutes after I slapped you.” she admitted with a shrug and Will joined her on the bench, his thigh pressing into hers.

Will chuckled lowly, shaking his head.

“Well” he began, turning toward her, his hazel eyes a mixture of amusement and regret. “You got me beat.” he finished with a shrug of his own. Diane frowned curiously at that, her head cocking to the side. “I realized mid-argument how it must have looked to you.”

The pair both dissolved into a laugh, both relieved and happy that the burden of fighting each other was lifted. There was a long moment of silence as their chuckles came to an end and they simply stared at each other.  

“Diane” he finally said, his gaze and tone deadly serious. “I’m not trying to take the firm from you. You have to believe that. After everything you’ve done for me, for our business - I would never.”

Diane smiled happily, sniffling slightly, the tears from before back again. 

“I know it looked bad, but it was just a stupid decision, not a move against you.” His voice was low and earnest, his eyes sorrowful and kind. 

“I’m sorry I hit you,” she replied in a watery whisper, her expression softened by big apologetic eyes.

“Yeah.” Will laughed, rubbing his jaw slightly. “I’m not going to lie, that hurt. Tyson’s got nothing on you!”

Diane laughed again, leaning toward him and letting her arms loop around his shoulders. Will sunk into the hug, holding her tightly.

“I’m sorry.” she repeated into his neck as he held her close, the words now falling from her lips freely, easily. 

“Me too.” he responded as they broke apart. Diane nodded solemnly, reaching over to squeeze his hand in a loving gesture. 

The partners sat in silence for a long while, neither of them willing to break the comfortable quiet that had settled over them. It felt good, relaxing in the company of an old friend, calming in a way that they had both missed. It had only been a month and it already felt as if they’d lost their rhythm. After everything with Bond, they’d finally mended their relationship and now, he wasn’t there to continue the healing. 

“So” Will began tentatively after an even longer pause. Diane startled slightly as he broke the silence and flashed her a glum smile. “Kurt told me about the other night.” he offered up and Diane’s eyes widened in fear.

“He did what?” Diane hissed out in a shriek, panic surging through her body. 

“Don’t be angry.” Will tried to calm her. “He just thought I should know.”

Diane gulped hard, pushing the bile in her throat down as she tried to keep on holding his gaze impassively. Her heart rate skyrocketed, her palms suddenly sweating as her mind raced over to that evening. Kurt walking her home, his body tight against hers, his tongue dipping into her mouth, his large hand cupping a breast – _God_!

“Will” she began pragmatically, her attempt at a calm, casual tone coming off as defensive and abrupt.  “It wasn’t what it sounds like.”, she explained nervously. She could feel her cheeks heating even in the crisp air, her mind racing as she tried to piece together an explanation. “We’d, Kurt and I, we’d been drinking and, I wasn’t thinking…” 

Diane fumbled, desperately trying to clarify the situation. How could Kurt? She knew he and Will were close, but to tell him about their kiss... it was wrong! She felt almost... _betrayed_. She'd thought they had an understanding, a silent agreement to never talk about it again, especially after her accusation a few days back.

"Diane, stop." Will cut her off with a shake of his head. "It’s okay."

Diane’s mouth snapped shut as she looked at him, her blue eyes wide with surprise.

Will flashed another comforting smile, his hand reaching over to squeeze hers lovingly. Diane pressed her lips together tightly, swallowing visibly and making Will chuckle a little. 

"Look" he started, misinterpreting her reaction. “Don’t be mad at Kurt, his heart was in the right place.” 

Diane fumed. She didn’t give a damn whether or not Kurt’s heart was in the right place. Telling Will about their little… _tryst_ , was wrong. 

“He didn’t mean to cause trouble. He just thought I should know.” Diane could hear her heart thundering in her ears, her blood suddenly cold as ice in her veins. God, how embarrassing. It was one thing to kiss her partner; it was another thing entirely for others to know about it – especially Will. “And he was right.”

Diane’s eyes widened even further, anxiety washing over her. She was surprised he was so calm. She knew if the situation was reversed, she wouldn’t have been nearly as composed if he’d kissed her replacement. Then again, the situation would never be reversed and the thought made her slightly bitter. Will ducked his gaze slightly, staring intently at their intertwined fingers.

“I never really gave you a chance to be angry.” he began hesitantly and Diane frowned, her heart still pounding. ”It all happened so fast, Alicia, the Grand Jury, the suspension, you defending me.” he continued to explain in a soft voice. Diane gulped in relief, realizing he may not be talking about that kiss after all. His voice was low and timid, a small whisper that had her squirming; she wasn’t used to such vulnerability from him. Such raw and pure honesty.  

“It occurs to me” he carried on, looking into her blue eyes with hesitant hazel orbs. “That I never said I was sorry.” Diane licked her lips, breathing out a grateful sigh. Will shot her a weak grin, clearly finding this as difficult as she’d found her apology to be a few minutes ago 

“Diane,” he said, both of his hands now gripping hers tightly, her gaze locked with hers intensely. “I am sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Her mouth fell open at that, flabbergasted by his confession. Yes, she deserved an apology, she deserved a hell of a lot more than that but to actually hear the words coming out of his mouth, she was awestruck.

“I did something awful, Diane, not just with the money, but with Alicia, too. You warned me and I just- I let you down.” he continued compassionately, his voice soft and steady and comforting in a way she’d missed over the month in which he’d been away. “I was wrong and you should be angry about that. You should be disappointed. Lord knows I’d be.”

Diane stared at her partner, her eyes welling up again despite her best efforts. She hadn’t realized how badly she’d needed to hear those words. He was right, she’d been so busy with keeping the firm afloat that she hadn’t properly grieved their situation. Will ducked his head to the side, avoiding her watery gaze as he pressed his lips tightly together. 

It was hard to admit his failings and, even more so, his professional failings. But the truth was, he was sorry; he knew they were only in this mess because of him. Because he’d been careless and selfish, because he’d been following his heart instead of his head. So, while it was difficult to apologize, he knew it was the right thing to do. She deserved at least that much.

Diane sat quietly, only the faint sounds of the city around them making any noise at all. She contemplated his apology, the courage she knew it took for him to vocalize it, the small catch in his throat that gave away his nerves and the honesty shining through his usually so cocky grin. She still couldn’t believe he’d actually apologized, she’d never thought she would see the day. She also didn’t quite know how to reply, didn’t want to say that it was okay, because it wasn’t and they both knew that. She’d accept regret, take his ‘sorry’ and mend the bitter part of her heart, but it still didn't change the fact that they were in this mess because of him. 

Will waited silently for an absolution that never came. Both partners were unsure of where to go next. He hadn’t needed a response, but he realized, as his speech came to an end, that he wanted one – if only to assuage his own guilt. He’d forgiven her a few minutes ago, but they both knew that was an entirely different ball game, a misunderstanding whereas this was nothing of the sort.

Diane smiled as kindly as she could manage, the discomfort settling over them. She accepted the apology, appreciated it even, but it did nothing to change the situation. She knew in her heart it was going to take a lot more than pretty words to ease her anger. It was part of the reason she’d imploded on him and Kurt, her seething fury had simply overtaken her, blinded her. As much as she loved Will, would fight for him and protect him, there was still a huge part of her that was furious and unforgiving.  

Finally, after an excruciatingly long minute, she cleared her throat.  

“Did Kurt also tell you about Daniels?” she asked softly, changing the topic and Will nodded.

“Yeah.” 

It was Diane’s turn to nod, her smile slowly curling up on her lips.

“I guess you two really are close, huh?” she prompted, shrugging meekly and trying to back away from the sudden awkwardness, fearing she’d either implode again and end up letting loose the anger he so richly deserved, or that somehow the details of her kiss with Kurt may slip out. 

“I guess.” Will replied with a curious look, his brow furrowing slightly as he cocked his head in her direction. “Are you” he started, hesitating. “Were you going to tell me about Robert?”

His voice was low and steady as he posed his question and Diane blushed, her face a picture of defensiveness. 

“It wasn’t important.” she offered offhandedly, looking away again.  

“It is.” he retorted

“Will” she began, squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath as she met his eyes. “It’s not, it doesn’t matter-“ Diane tucked a loose curl behind her ear, shrugging in defeat. “We don’t need him.”

“He isn’t going to be the last one.” he replied morbidly. “We’re going to lose more clients.”

“I know.” she said just as morosely. “Your suspension is no secret, Will.” Her partner blanched slightly at her candour, his shame palpable. “But we’re gonna be fine. If clients leave, then they leave, and if they do, they’re not the sort of clients we want anyway.”

Will chuckled humorously, rolling his eyes with a heavy sigh.

“Diane” he huffed exasperatedly. “How did I get so damn lucky?” he questioned, meeting her blue eyes with his hazel, his expression sincere and honest. Diane let out a silent laugh, reaching over to squeeze his hand again.

“It’s only five more months, Will.” she told him with a shrug. “Just five more months.” Will smiled and Diane matched it with a grin of her own, trying to mask her unease. Five more months indeed. Five more months with Kurt McVeigh, five more months of hot, sweaty dreams and awkward glances. God, it seemed impossible. 

“Thank you.” he replied, putting their conversation to bed with a hug as he pulled her into him. Diane wrapped her arms around him, revelling in the comfort he provided. After a beat, the pair pulled apart, both smiling.

“So tell me something.” he said. Diane rolled her eyes in amusement. 

“What do you wanna know?” 

“How is the Collins case going?” he prompted and Diane shook her head with a smirk. Of course, he wanted to talk business. She knew he missed the law. Hell, if the roles were reversed, she’d be going mad without it, but at the same time, there were strict rules to his suspension.

“Will” she breathed out in a heavy sigh, her eyes defeated. “You know I can’t tell you.” 

Her partner nodded in acceptance, mimicking her mournful expression.

“I know.” he shrugged sadly, looking out at the park. Diane took a deep breath, letting her eyes slide shut as cool wind wafted over the partners.

“We fly out on Wednesday.” she offered up softly and Will’s eyes snapped back to her abruptly. Diane shrugged again, a coy smile tugging at her lips. “That’s all I can tell you.”

Will laughed lowly. “Thank you.”

“Apparently” Diane carried on in an annoyed tone. “McVeigh and I are the only litigators in the firm who have valid licenses to practice in New York.”

“How’s that going by the way?” Will asked offhandedly, cocking his head to the side with a deep frown.

“Well, I’ve ordered a whole bunch of associates to prepare for the New York Bar. We can’t have this happening again.” she continued with a heavy roll of her eyes, her irritation palpable. Will shook his head in a chuckle.

“No, I mean with Kurt.” he clarified and Diane blanched. “How are things between the two of you?”

“Between the two of us?” Diane repeated, her heart suddenly racing again – the way it always did when Kurt McVeigh was involved. She had it so bad for that man. Granted, they hadn’t spoken since she had accused him of trying to seduce her as a joke. And still, she couldn’t help her attraction. 

Her wet dreams had only gotten more intense, so bad now that she was avoiding sleep as much as possible. There was nothing worse than dreaming about your very sexy, very off-limits partner so vividly.

“Yeah” Will continued casually. “I wasn’t exactly the only one you accused of mutiny.” he joked and Diane felt her body relax.  

“Oh” she gasped, laughing slightly at her own silliness. “That.” Will nodded as she blushed some more, ducking her head down to her lap. “Well” she mumbled. “I haven’t exactly spoken to him.” 

Will’s eyes widened comically.

“Diane” he said, his voice dripping with disbelief. Diane rolled her eyes at his disappointed expression.

“I know, I know!” she cut him off, knowing exactly what was coming. “I need to apologize.”

“You do.”

Diane huffed, not liking his tone. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know she owed McVeigh an apology. In fact, given the way she’d acted in her office, she probably owed him more than that. With a glum smile, she met Will’s expectant expression.

“I’ll apologize.” she told him. “I promise.”

“Thank you.” he replied kindly, making Diane shake her head.

“Besides” she started. “I can’t lose another partner.” Her joke made Will scoff and nudge her with his shoulder.  

“All right.” he laughed, standing up from the bench and offering her his hand. “Come on, let’s go back to mine. My sisters have, no doubt, ordered too much Chinese and we’re gonna need help finishing it. Plus, they’ve been harassing me about having you over.”

Diane giggled, placing her hand into his and letting him pull her to her feet. 

“Well, in that case, we can’t disappoint them,” she told him, leaning into his side as they walked back to his apartment. Safe in the knowledge that for now, they were all right. 

  

-0-0-0-

   

Diane sighed in relief as she rounded the corner to Kurt’s office and found it vacant. She was on her way to apologize, well, possibly.

She’d already attempted to apologize twice this morning, only making it to the end of the hall before she had chickened out and turned back. _Third time's a charm_ , she told herself as she strode toward her partner’s office, her fists clenched nervously as she repeated the speech she’d prepared over and over again in her head.

She’d played out every possible scenario thousands of times, what she’d say if he would ignore her, what would happen if he yelled, how she’d cope if he would accept her sorrow impassively – everything, and yet it still felt like she wasn’t prepared. She felt like she had on her first day as a lawyer; scared, anxious, inexperienced and alone. She hated apologies.

Her eyes fell to the empty room in front of her, her body screaming for her to take it as a sign and slink back to her office, but her mind was determined to see this through. She had to apologize. So far, they still hadn’t spoken since that fateful day, and although she was quite positive they could continue on like this-both too stubborn to admit defeat-their pending case in New York demanded they interact.  

Walking cautiously into his office, she was immediately engulfed by its masculine scent. The room was medium sized but still smelt deliciously of him; a rich combination of old books, gunpowder, and his musky cologne. Biting into her bottom lip, she tried to push the smell aside, not liking the way her body reacted to it. Her nipples were already hard beneath her clothes, her heart already racing just at the prospect of talking to him again. Those dreams were really starting to affect her.

Diane strolled around the room, dragging her delicate fingers along his law journals and inspecting their titles. It was more of a turn on than she cared to admit, his intellect. The idea of him reading all of those books, learning from them. She’d always loved an academic.

After a few more minutes of snooping, she slowly lowered herself into Kurt’s office chair. Her eyes moved to dance across his desk, neat piles of documents with his manly scrawl were scattered about the wooden material, mixed in with expensive silvery pens, and, surprisingly to her, his glasses.

Her manicured fingers traced over the rim of his spectacles, her lips curving into a smile as she thought of him wearing them. Working hard, hunched over his desk, his brow furrowed as he squinted through his glasses; in Court, objecting to a Judge with the spectacles perched on his nose; him lying in bed, reading the latest political bio, something republican, naturally. Probably Sarah Palin.

Diane shook her head, smirking as she thought of him using those glasses to read about that awful woman, her amusement quickly turning into a blush as she then imagined herself in bed beside him... and then on top of him. Or under him. Oh, God. 

She bit her bottom lip, letting her eyes fall shut as she tried to suppress her desire. Even after everything that had happened, she still wasn’t able to shake off her lust for this cowboy. Her dreams were haunting her. Every night, her mind twisted her feelings for him into hot, vivid sex. In all sorts of positions. And in every place imaginable.

She blinked herself back into reality, her fingers quickly retreating to her lap. She needed to focus. She was here for a reason. Will was right; she did owe him an apology, a bigger one than even he was aware of.

Accusing him of trying to steal her firm had been bad enough, but accusing him of trying to seduce her, the thought of it made her cringe. She should have known, Kurt was a good, decent man, and he’d never screw her... at least not for a laugh. She should have given him the benefit of the doubt.  

Ironically, Will was supposed to be the hot-headed one.

Rolling her eyes, she glanced around the room, darting from the books on his shelves to the framed document proclaiming him a lawyer. It all felt so fitting, all so perfectly him; modest, yet proud.

“Diane?” His voice caught her by surprise, making her jump up from her seat. Her hand shot out to the side, knocking over a small cylinder filled with stationery. The pair froze, looking at each other wordlessly. Kurt slowly dropped his leather folder on his desk and shrugged off his jacket, never breaking their eye contact.

“Hello.” Diane forced a smile, her heart racing as she met his green eyes with a gulp.

“Hi.” he responded in his usual gruff tone, his arms falling limply to his sides as they continued to stare at each other. 

“Hi.” she repeated softer this time, her cheeks flushing as she noted the scattering of pens and pencils on the carpeted floor. With a quick, apologetic look, she dropped to her knees, trying to gather the mess and shove it back into the container. 

“Diane, what are you doing?” Kurt questioned in a tired voice, hunching down to help her. Diane flashed him another smile, awkwardly acting as if they hadn’t spent the last few days completely avoiding each other. Shoving the stationery back into its place, she stood abruptly, tucking her hair behind her ears nervously as she waited for him to do the same.

“What are you doing here?” he asked once more, his voice low and controlled, the same sexy drawl that it always was. Diane tried another smile, failing miserably as she met his concerned gaze.

“I, uh” she started, glancing down to her pointed shoes, unable to formulate words. So much for the speech she’d prepared. “I, um, I needed to speak with you.”

“Okay?” he prompted blandly, casually leaning his hands on the back of one of his visitor’s chairs. Diane let her eyes slide shut for a moment as she gathered courage; she needed to get this out. They had to move passed this.

She folded her arms, gulping awkwardly. Her gaze drifted to his, those deep, green eyes staring back into her soul and making her skin prickle. God, he was so gorgeous. She had always enjoyed a man with facial hair and that, coupled with his husky voice, toned physique, and mysterious demeanour, well, she was hooked. 

Kurt frowned as she fumbled over her words, his eyes drawing across her blushing cheeks down to the lip she was currently worrying between her teeth.

“Look” she finally managed, dropping her hands to her sides. “I said a lot of things in my office the other day.”  

Kurt nodded, his eyes still thinned curiously.  

“I recall.” he offered simply, no malice or judgment in his voice, just honesty and openness. Diane cringed, feeling her heart ache. He really was a good man and she’d demonized him for no valid reason. 

Part of her wanted to blame him for all of this. If he hadn’t crawled under her skin, she wouldn’t have imploded the way she had. If she’d been getting enough sleep and not been dreaming of his large, rough hands and sinful mouth, she may have taken the time to hear Will and him out, instead of jumping to conclusions as she’d done. Alas, hindsight was twenty-twenty, and now all she could do was apologize and try to move on.

“Right and I, okay.” she stuttered. “I just wanted to say, to say that I shouldn’t have said that. I, uh, I overreacted, and I take back everything...that I said.” she finished lamely, tripping over her words again and almost pulling a smirk from her partner as he listened to her. 

“Was that an apology?” he squinted in confirmation, only partly messing with her. Truth be told he was a little smug. What she’d said had been wrong and cruel and, while he could understand where she was coming from, her accusations had still stung and it was only fitting that she would feel bad about them. However, if he was being honest, he wasn’t nearly as mad at her as he should have been. There was just something about her; he couldn’t stay angry and he couldn’t stay away.  

He wanted her, now more than ever. 

“Yes.” she replied defensively, wringing her fingers together in a nervous gesture. Kurt smirked, sensing this was as close to 'I’m sorry' as he was going to get. 

With a small nod, he moved around his office, coming to stand in front of her. Diane gulped as she watched his eyes dip to her lips hungrily before bouncing back up to her hesitant, blue orbs.

“Hmm” he hummed pensively, the low rumble making her stomach twist in the most delicious way. What was he doing? Why was he standing so close? Suddenly the room was too warm, the skin on the back of her neck dampening as she waited for him to continue. “So, you take everything back?”

Diane frowned at that, backing away from him slightly, moving closer to the wall.

“Yes. Absolutely, I wasn’t thinking-“ she began to explain as he followed her.

“Even the part about you dreaming of me?” he cut her off in a gruff drawl.

“I uh- what?” she gasped, her face and neck flushing in a deeper red. Her breath drifted into pants, her confusion melting into attraction as he moved closer. His eyes were dark, predatory and sinful as they met hers, his tongue daring to sneak out and lick his lips. 

“You told me you dream about me.” he reminded her and Diane swallowed in embarrassment. Up until now, she’d completely blocked that out of her memory, not wanting to recall how she’d basically admitted she thought, even though it was only unconsciously, about them screwing. “Are you taking that back too, Diane?” he whispered, his smirk smug and sexy.

“I, uh,” she gulped out. “I’m not, yes. Yes, I am.” Her voice was small and timid, her eyes wide as he moved even closer. Her mind raced with his words, her thoughts traitorously slipping back to the multiple dreams she’d had, him touching her, stroking her; him fucking her.

“Hmm” he mused lowly. “Pity.” 

“What?” Diane’s eyes widened, her breathing laboured as his hands found their way to her waist. His fingers slid over her lower abdomen in much the same way they’d done that night against her front door, his touch burning through her clothing and setting her skin on fire.

“I just said it’s a pity.” he repeated slowly, his eyes seductive and dark as he shoved her back, pushing her body into the wall behind her. Diane gasped, her hands lying limply to her sides as he pressed his hips into hers, trapping her against the cool concrete.

Kurt flashed her a dangerous smile, his body towering over hers in the most sinister and sexy way. Her heart was beating fast, her eyes fighting to stay open as his heat and smell were engulfing her. God, she wanted him.

“Why?” she eventually forced out, her tone breathy as he stepped even closer, her blue eyes wide with surprise and just a hint of desire. Kurt chuckled deep in his throat, his chest vibrating against her. Diane whimpered as he dipped his head, her eyes closing as she anticipated his lips on hers. “God” she sighed as his nose brushed against her jaw, his breath hot on her pale skin. 

Kurt dragged his lips along the line of her throat, slowly moving up to her ear.

“I dream about you too, Diane.” he whispered gruffly into her ear, ruffling a few of her blonde curls and setting her skin alight with desire.

Diane’s eyes fluttered as she took a deep breath, her chest brushing against his in the most delightful way as she inhaled. There was a moment of pure silence as they stood in his office, enjoying the closeness. Kurt continued to nuzzle the soft skin on her neck, his lips ghosting along her throat, whispering words she couldn’t hear. She could smell his cologne; that woody, masculine musk that intoxicated her even more than his sexy words.

They wanted this and, God, she needed this! She let out a small whimper as Kurt turned his head, his lips now openly pressing against soft skin beneath her ear, the whisper of his moustache sending a chill down her spine. Oh Lord, she couldn’t breathe, she was hot and cold all over, her nipples pricked against the lace beneath her blouse and her body thrummed with need. Squeezing her thighs together tightly, she tried to regain her focus. She’d come here to put the past behind them, to focus on moving forward and running the firm. They couldn’t; they shouldn’t. 

“Kurt” she finally managed to say in a timid voice, her small hand rising to his chest and breaking the spell between them. Kurt slowly backed away, the heat from his body leaving her and making her shiver.

With a careful gulp, she blinked her blue eyes open, trying to compose herself as she met his dark smirking gaze. The tension between them still hung in the air, the hustle and bustle of the office still a white noise as they simply stared at each other. 

“No.” she started, her voice catching slightly. “We can’t.” 

Kurt pressed his lips together in an accepting hum, his thumbs still pressing small circles into her hips.

“Okay.” he conceded, but Diane could tell by the look in his eyes he wasn’t taking her seriously. He was merely playing the game they’d been playing since the day he had walked into her life. This silly cat and mouse game of sexual tension. 

“It’s not smart. Sex is what got my firm into this mess and if I, if we-“ She shut her eyes, shaking her head sadly, hoping that, if she couldn’t see him this would be easier. “It just won’t end well. I’ve already lost one partner, and I can’t lose another.”

Kurt stepped back, his hands leaving her as he backed away, nodding more seriously.

“And what if I could guarantee you wouldn’t lose me?” he asked, his expression gravely solemn but his eyes still lusty with desire.

“You can’t.” she whispered, her eyes big and sincere as they locked on his. Kurt shook his head, a rugged grin curling beneath his moustache. 

“I could never leave you, Diane.” he replied lowly, honestly. His sexy confession made her gasp, her body leaning into his unconsciously.

“You don’t even know me.” she tried, her voice catching in her throat. She couldn’t. They couldn’t. They barely knew each other. Aside from their kiss and the obvious attraction, they had nothing in common. She was a liberal and he a conservative, she a Democrat and he a Republican. Not to mention they were partners. She couldn’t. Will would never forgive her. She’d never forgive herself.

“I know enough to know that a woman like you could ruin me.” he replied in a low voice that had Diane shivering. Lord, but the things he said and the way he said them; she was wet.

Diane shut her eyes, swallowing the lump in her throat patiently as she gathered her courage. She knew now that she’d have to hurt him to ensure that they would put an end to this. It was the only way; logic didn’t seem to work for him. 

“Perhaps” she offered up, meeting his intense gaze again bravely. “But a woman like me could never be with a man like you.”  

Kurt smirked, her biting reply cutting deep into his gruff exterior, tearing into him with fiery diction and a sharp tongue. He breathed out heavily, composing himself fast but not quick enough hide the flash of pain that shot through his earnest, green eyes. 

“Because I’m a Republican?” he asked simply and Diane could see how she’d angered him in the distant look in his green, green eyes.

“And my partner.” she added.

“And I like Sarah Palin…”

“That too.” she conceded with a crooked smirk, her attempt to lighten the mood falling flat.

“And because I’m not good enough for someone like you?” he pushed, his eyes locked on hers fiercely.  

Diane felt her heart clench. This was it, the moment she’d been waiting for. This was how she ended this. 

“Yes.” she replied softly, boldly, her heart racing as she stood up straight. She knew her response would end their conversation, and more than that, their flirtation. 

“Okay then.” he replied, backing away even further, his face a mask of feigned impassivity. “I suppose I won’t waste any more of your time then.”, he added softly, his eyes losing that spark that usually drove her wild. 

Diane choked down a whimper, curling her hand into a fist to avoid to reach out and comfort him. She wanted nothing more than to wipe the passive look from his face, to pull him close and kiss him until they would both feel better.

“Thank you.” she said numbly, digging her nails into her palm as she held his gaze steadily. 

God, but this _hurt_. If anything, he’d gotten it the wrong way around. _She_ wasn’t good enough for _him_. He was loyal and good and kind and she didn’t deserve someone like him.

Kurt took a bigger step back, moving out of her personal space completely and squaring his shoulders professionally.

“Is there anything else Miss Lockhart?” he asked meanly and Diane almost let out a whimper, her heart aching at his use of her last name.

With a deep breath, she stood up straighter, meeting his gaze with the very same professionalism she’d been so desperate for a few seconds ago.

“We have a strat meeting in half an hour to go over the details of the Collins case in New York. I’d like to have everything prepared before we fly out tomorrow night.” she said calmly, not meeting his gaze and wanting nothing more than to flee his office.

“As you wish.” he responded gruffly, turning his back to her.

Diane nodded, her lips trembling as she moved around him. Her legs felt weak, her body heavy as she strode toward the door. Just as she reached the threshold, she turned back to look at him. Kurt hadn’t moved, his back still facing her, his eyes locked on the ground, defeated.

“I’m sorry, Kurt.” she offered up sadly, honestly, before turning and leaving without looking back. She had to move on, be professional. They both did. 

Kurt sighed, letting his eyes slide shut.

“Yeah, me too.” he replied to the emptiness of his office.

  

 -0-0-0-

  

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


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